


Familiar Taste of Poison

by sleepyfox



Series: Here's To Us [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Anal Sex, Anbu Haruno Sakura, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Uchiha Sasuke, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Begging, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Double Penetration, Exhibitionism, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, Hatake Kakashi is a Little Shit, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Inappropriate Use of Chakra, Mistaken Identity, Mystery, Ninken | Ninja Dogs, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Pegging, Praise Kink, Sakura has a potty mouth, Sex Toys, Smut, Undercover as a Couple, ass eating, bj, voyeurism kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:22:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyfox/pseuds/sleepyfox
Summary: Someone is poisoning women the night before their wedding in Sunagakure and Gaara requests Sakura to look into it. Given the number of shinobi in the area, she and her partner have to go deep undercover as an engaged couple, and who does the Hokage choose to assist her but Hatake Kakashi. It should be a relatively straightforward mission until they meet up in their civilian disguises and realize that they are far more intimately acquainted than either of them ever would have guessed.“Ah, Sakura-chan. If you see that guy you met in Suna a while back, make sure he doesn’t recognize you.” Naruto’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he added, “Even if hewasthe best sex you’ve ever had.”
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Here's To Us [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090802
Comments: 238
Kudos: 522





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my betas MrsSakuraHatake and HeyItsWrenn for being so great about giving feedback for this project of mine. I haven't been actively in the fandom for almost 15 years so it's nice to have their help. That said, I had to write a fic that gave Sakura the credit for her level of badassery deserves because I think she was shafted in the anime and manga. Bring on the strong, independent women, am I right? And Kakashi because I adore him and really couldn't help myself. I love these two idiots.
> 
> I got the start of an idea for this fic while I was reading The One Night Henge by The_Cherry_Blossom, so if you want more mistaken identity goodness, check it out.
> 
> Title is the song Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm. Listen to the greatness that is Lzzy Hale, you will not regret it.

Haruno Sakura was grateful for coffee. And for clear skies and uneventful days and genin teams finally learning how not to fall out of trees. Right now though, she was most thankful for coffee.

Hands reverently holding the mug and absorbing the warmth, she brought it to her lips and inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering shut in rapture. She vaguely thought of how obscene her reaction probably was but she was beyond caring. It was fuck-all thirty in the morning and she was running on three hours of sleep and coffee was the only thing that could possibly keep her awake without falling back on soldier pills. She had made that mistake before and she would be damned before she did it again.

There was a polite knock on her window but she ignored it, listening as it opened and an ANBU operative slipped into the room. Still ignoring them, she took a sip of her coffee and sighed happily over the sound of the ANBU clearing their throat. Jade eyes snapped open and she leveled the operative with a glare over the rim of her mug. “ _What?_ ”

The ANBU - whom she could now identify as Shiranui Genma now that she was actually looking at him and immediately recognized his tanuki mask - flicked a hand toward Hokage Tower. She didn’t need to see Genma’s face to know that he was smirking at her, she could hear it in his voice when he said, “Hokage-sama wants to see you as soon as possible.”

“Can’t believe he’s even up this early,” she grumbled as she looked longingly at her coffee cup. She had just started drinking it and she already had to leave. Typical. Given that he was still standing by the window, he was clearly waiting for a response so she waved the ANBU away with an absent hand. “I’ll get there when I get there.”

Genma snickered, giving her a jaunty salute before he slipped out the window and out of sight. Alone again, she shut the window and returned to her coffee. More than likely, her summons was for an ANBU mission, and she hadn’t been on one of those in a while. She rested her hip against her desk, sipping her coffee as she wondered what she would be doing this time. All of her past missions had been a team and she mentally crossed her fingers that she was paired with someone she liked.

Suitably intrigued, she finished her coffee and left the hospital to grab her civilian bag and change into her uniform to meet with the Nanadaime. Just to be polite, she made herself known in the hallway outside of the Hokage’s office, lifting a hand to wave at Genma standing outside. He didn’t question her, knowing exactly who she was. Her distinctive pink hair was a dead giveaway and she was still surprised that no one had told her to hide it to finally give her true anonymity that the porcelain bear mask alone couldn’t provide. ANBU tattoo proudly on display and go bag strapped to her back, she inclined her head and lifted her hand to knock once out of politeness. She didn’t wait for a reply, instead pushing the doors open and allowing them to close behind her with a soft click.

Two men waited inside, the Nanadaime behind his desk and another ANBU operative, most likely her partner for the mission, standing off to the side. Naruto had already lost the Hokage hat, resting on a chair in the corner of the office where he had probably thrown it five minutes in on top of the ceremonial robes. He only wore them when he had to, saying that while they looked cool and all, they weren’t particularly comfortable in the heat and Kakashi had agreed on more than one occasion, having said the same thing himself during his time as the Rokudaime. The elders hated the lack of decorum, but Sakura honestly wondered if they had expected anything else out of the Copy-Nin and the Jinchuuriki. She certainly hadn’t.

“You’re late.”

Sakura jabbed her elbow into the ANBU’s ribs but otherwise ignored him as she stepped forward to greet the Hokage. The familiar shock of silver hair and dog faced mask were an exasperating but nice surprise. She hadn’t had a mission with Hatake Kakashi in a long time, and she rather missed her former sensei. Not that she would tell him that any time soon.

“To be fair, I found Kakashi sleeping in a tree as I was walking in to Hokage Tower this morning, so he had an unfair advantage,” Naruto told her, grinning cheekily when Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest in denial. 

“Tch, figures. What’s the mission?” She couldn’t hide the interest in her voice and Naruto picked up on it immediately but his expression turned grave.

“There has been a series of murders in one of the smaller villages in Sunagakure and Gaara has asked for our help solving it.” He handed them both a thick black scroll. “Someone has been poisoning brides-to-be at local vacation spots. None of the poison experts in Suna have been able to identify it or come up with an antidote, so Gaara asked for you, Sakura.”

Sakura hummed but didn’t reply, skimming over the mission directive and then pausing on the notes that had been left for her by the Kazekage himself. Kakashi must have reached the same place because he lifted his head from the scroll and spoke up. “We’re going undercover?”

“Weird, I know, but Sakura is too well known as a medic nin to just send her there as she is. Gaara thinks that the killer will go underground and we won’t catch them until they surface again somewhere else. If you’re undercover then there’s a better chance of catching them. But you also won’t have access to any labs this way, so it makes your job harder.” Naruto ran a hand through his short blond hair, clearly frustrated. “I would send you more supplies if I could, but it would ruin your cover. We can’t let anyone know that we’ve sent you two there.”

Well, that certainly made things more difficult, but not impossible. Sakura tapped her fingers on the scroll, considering her options carefully. A lab would make things easier, but she most often used her chakra as her main diagnostic tool anyway. She could use cooking as a hobby for her cover in a pinch. A lot of the tools were similar, if not the exact same, and she was a decent cook. It would be an adjustment to use mason jars instead of test tubes, but she could make it work.

“I’ll need cooking supplies,” she said aloud, still scanning the rest of the missive. “Canning and fermentation primarily, and access to an herb garden.”

Naruto nodded. “I’ll make sure you have it. Might be easier this way since you’ll have to pose as an engaged couple.” He almost managed to look apologetic, but didn’t quite succeed.

Sakura paused in reading the scroll and turned her head to regard Kakashi, who was now ignoring her and staring up at the ceiling. She took a moment to run her eyes over her friend, taking in the way the ANBU uniform enhanced the sculpted muscles in his torso, and the looser pants hinted the same. She had been his personal medic for years - although a lot of that had to do with the fact that she was the only one who could consistently find him and force him to actually submit to being healed for even a brief amount of time - and she knew that he still kept himself in top form. That said, she still hadn’t seen him without his mask and she could only guess at his features, but she had realized long ago that the wild suspicions they had had about his face as children had probably been wishful thinking. Given his bone structure, he was probably ridiculously attractive. 

Kakashi tilted his head to look at her after she had stared at him too long and she shrugged, turning back to Naruto who watched them in a mixture of apprehension and glee. Something only Naruto could manage on his wildly expressive face. 

“All right,” she said finally, unable to find any real reasons to object. It would be weird, for sure, but she trusted Kakashi and she was a decent actor, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to pretend to be in love. 

“Maa, such enthusiasm for our love, Sakura-chan.” She didn’t have to see his face to know that his eyes were glittering in amusement and he didn't need to see hers to know that she was rolling them skyward.

Naruto snorted but didn’t comment on Kakashi’s words. “You’ll leave in an hour. An _actual_ hour, not a Kakashi hour.” Sakura bit back a snicker and Kakashi lifted his hands in mock innocence. “Your contact will meet you an hour outside of Garasu. No one but Gaara and I know we’re sending you. In the event of an emergency, send a ninken or namekuji straight to Gaara. Sakura is in charge of this one as the poison expert.” His expression sobered, fingers tightening into fists before he lay his hands flat on the desk. “Sakura, you might be targeted so I want you to be very, very careful.”

It was against protocol, but Sakura didn’t care. She stepped forward to hold Naruto’s hands in hers. He gripped her fingers tightly, blue eyes looking into the dark eye holes of her mask. “I will. Promise.”

His handsome features relaxed and he smiled sheepishly. “I know you will.” He squeezed her hand one more time before releasing her and focusing his gaze on Kakashi. “You’re the only one I trust to be her back up for this. Both of you _need_ to come back alive.”

Kakashi inclined his head. “I’m flattered, Hokage-sama.”

Naruto snorted, his serious expression falling like it had never been. “It’s still weird hearing you say that, Rokudaime.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you. Shall we go, taichou?”

It was probably a good thing that no one could see the ridiculous grin on her face from behind her mask hearing her former sensei, a man she respected, call her taichou. “Let’s go.”

“Ah, Sakura-chan. If you see that guy you met in Suna a while back, make sure he doesn’t recognize you.” Naruto’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he added, “Even if he _was_ the best sex you’ve ever had.”

Sakura didn’t bother replying, simply gave him a rude gesture as she strode out of his office, Kakashi in tow. “We’ll leave as civilians. See you in an hour.”

Kakashi saluted her and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

An hour later, Sakura ran her fingers through the long red hair of her wig, twisting it up into a simple ponytail as she walked through the streets of Konoha toward the gates. Her civilian disguise wasn’t much different from her real self with the exception of her hair and eyes and a touch of chakra to hide her ANBU tattoo and the seal on her brow. Given the fact that they were going to be traveling for a day, she chose comfortable clothing over the cute outfits she normally wore in this disguise. A plain green shirt and comfortable black pants and boots with a low heel. A simple pair of silver hoops hung from her lobes but she was otherwise unadorned. The blue contacts she wore would probably be a pain after a while, but she thanked the gods that her eyes were naturally lubricated enough to tolerate them for long periods of time. A touch of brown shadow over her eyes and a slick of dark gloss on her lips and she was ready.

As she neared the gate her steps slowed, gaze lifting from the road and catching sight of a tall figure slouching in the shadows. She recognized his chakra signature and was impressed that he was not only on time, but waiting for her. Drawing closer, she took in the casual wear of jounin pants sans shuriken pouch, boots instead of sandals, and a long green coat with a scarf around the neck. Her steps slowed further and then came to a stop as he turned his head to look at her, two charcoal eyes widening in astonishment as very familiar lips parted in a curse she didn’t need to hear to understand.

_A deep voice in her ear that was almost familiar, lips brushing over her skin in a way that was more a tease than a kiss. Strong hands gripping her waist and lifting her so she could wrap her legs around him, pressing their hips together. Her back hit the wall and his mouth returned to hers, his kisses headier than any drug. His cock pressed against her aching core and she moaned, rocking her hips into him with a desperation that might have bothered her if it didn’t feel so damn good. There was no grace, no romance, only impatient hands, loud moans, and frantic mouths that bit more than they soothed, their kisses sloppy and open, but hotter than anything. His fingers hiked up her skirt and pushed her underwear out of the way, slipping into her molten heat and she cried out, hands scrabbling for the button of his pants because she needed him now, she couldn’t wait any longer, and he was so big and thick and hot in her hands. She growled at him when he laughed against her sweaty neck, shifting her hips until he was right there and oh gods she was so, so full. He drove into her in long smooth strokes, hitting a spot deep inside that made her see stars. Curses ran through her lips like water, some of them swallowed by his kisses and others screamed into the void when he thrust particularly hard. Every nerve ending threatened to throw itself from the precipice and she just needed a little more and then his mouth moved to her throat and he bit down and her body imploded. Her vision went white and her sex convulsed painfully around him as he continued to drive into her relentlessly, hot breaths over her already sweat-damp skin and gods, she didn’t know an orgasm could last so long. Even as she began coming down from her high, she rocked her hips into him and whispered filthy things against his hair, licking the pulse point behind his ear and flooding her mouth with his taste. Her walls continued to milk him until he lost himself in her, slamming her against the wall and burying himself to the hilt. He gasped against her throat as his hips stuttered, shivers racking his powerful frame. A soft, disbelieving laugh escaped her and he finally looked up. Purple paint smudged on his cheeks and charcoal eyes glazed over from his orgasm, lips swollen and glistening from their bruising kisses. She grinned down at him, fingers playing with the hair that stuck to his neck and he grinned back, lips curving slowly and a little lopsided in a way that brought out his dimples and gods, how did she find someone so incredibly sexy?_

Sakura blinked away the memory, her cheeks flushing faintly. The man she’d known only as Sukea tilted his head, a slow, lopsided grin that showcased stupidly adorable dimples crossing his handsome face in a way that looked insufferably smug. “Best sex of your life, huh?”

Sakura scowled and considered running back to Hokage Tower just to punch Naruto out the window. “Fuck you,” she grumbled, stomping past him and ignoring the fact that she was full on blushing now.

“Maa, turns out I’ve already done that. Five times.” 

She knew he was following after her at a casual pace, voice just loud enough for her to hear, but not for the guards at the gate to catch, which she supposed she should appreciate if he wasn’t being such a little shit. There was a pause before he added, laughter simmering under his words, “And it was the best sex of your life, apparently.”

She threw a kunai at his head without breaking stride, only mildly disappointed when instead of hearing it strike flesh, she only heard his laughter ringing through the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my betas, who are amazing. Thank you for listening to my idea vomit.

They finally made camp at the edge of Fire Country, taking shelter in the trees for the last time. Sakura busied herself with catching fish while Kakashi built a small fire and laid out their bedrolls nearby. Their journey had been silent for the most part - broken up by his laughter in the beginning and a few times since, and she was almost dreading the conversation she knew they should have. She’d had a one night stand with her  _ teacher, _ and it had been the absolute hottest sex of her life. If she was honest with herself, she’d rather hoped to have a repeat someday before she’d realized just who it was. That said, the memories that refused to leave her alone left her with flashes of pale skin covered in scars, old and new, lean muscle, and very talented hands. It figured he was good in bed, given how many times he had read  _ Icha Icha _ over the years, but…

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. This mission had become far more complicated than she had anticipated, and it was her own damn fault.

Neither of them spoke as they grilled the fish and sat down to eat, but there was no missing the tension that simmered between them. She finished her fish and tucked a senbon between her teeth, rolling it with her tongue in a way she had seen Genma do countless times. Keeping the sharp edge from cutting her tongue was an exercise in and of itself, and it was almost a meditative practice now. Kakashi gathered the bones and disposed of them, settling cross-legged across the fire and staring into it, the flames sending shadows dancing over his face.

After a long silence she finally heaved a sigh and rested her chin in her hand, finally lifting her gaze to meet his. “I guess we should talk about it after all.”

“What, the best sex of your life?”

She snorted, more amused than embarrassed now. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”

“Never.” Kakashi grinned and she hated that seeing his stupidly handsome naked face made her heart flutter in her chest.

“Ass.” She halfheartedly threw a stick at him that he easily dodged. She studied him as he made himself comfortable again, a tiny smile on his face. “I can’t believe we fucked each other and didn’t even know.”

Kakashi snorted, flicking his gaze up to meet hers. “Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you.”

“I mean, the  _ one _ time I go to Suna just to have some fun I end up finding my old sensei of all people to take home. I finally saw your face and didn’t even realize it was you and of course you’re fucking gorgeous. Damn you.” She glared at him, and he grinned cheekily back, the smug bastard.

“So many compliments. I’m flattered.”

“Oh, shut up. I wasn’t the one waking up in the middle of the night for another round, that was you. Twice.” Not that she had complained. Hell no. By the next morning when they finally woke up and parted ways, she was pleasantly sore in all the best places. The only reason she had been able to walk without a limp was because she was a medic nin, but she wasn’t about to tell him that, either. Now, knowing exactly who had rocked her world so many times, she was even more amazed by his stamina. Most twenty-something shinobi couldn’t go that many rounds, and he was in his late-thirties. 

Kakashi hummed, not looking the least bit embarrassed. “That’s true.”

Sakura toyed with the senbon between her lips, careful to keep it from scraping over her teeth. “You really had no idea it was me?” He shook his head and she continued before he could speak, “Yeah, I figured. Damn. It’s just…” Since that night she had replayed it in her mind so many times, using it to fuel her own fantasies when she touched herself, and she wasn’t going to lie and say she hadn’t hoped she would run into him again someday for a repeat, but for it to be Kakashi… It certainly changed her perspective and she would never be able to look at him the same way again. “I’ve seen you  _ naked _ !”

Kakashi blinked and gave her a wry smile. “Well, you’ve healed me often enough to have seen quite a bit before that.”

She waved the comment away. “Knowing what you look like naked because I’ve healed you, and knowing what you look like naked when you’re balls deep inside me is totally different. And you know it!” Kakashi opened his mouth, paused, and closed it again, conceding her point. Then Sakura continued, “And you’ve seen  _ me _ naked. You’ve seen me orgasm!”

“Multiple times,” he said cheerily.

She threw another stick at his smug face even though he was totally right. She had lost count of the number of times she had orgasmed that night from his hands, mouth, and cock. “I’ve seen  _ you _ come, too. Multiple times!”

“Well, yes, that does tend to happen when you have sex with someone.”

“Not in my experience,” she muttered more to herself than him. “But yes, good job and shut up. I’m freaking out a little here.”

“Thank you? Wait, do you mean you don’t always orgasm or your partner doesn’t, because that can’t be right.” He seemed genuinely concerned by this, and any other time she would have found it rather sweet.

She waved his question off. “Guys are easy to get off. I meant me, obviously. Just not with you so good job and  _ shut up _ , I’m still freaking out.”

Kakashi lifted his hands in a placating gesture but his smile was back. “Right, right. Sorry.”

Another senbon twirled between her fingers as she thought. Her sexy stranger was her pervert ex-sensei, and now that the two were merged together in her head, she couldn’t figure out how she wanted to feel about it. Before knowing the man’s real identity, she had hoped to meet him again. Maybe hook up or, hell, maybe go on a date. Now that she knew it was Kakashi, part of her still wanted what could have been. She wanted the sexy man who’d made her laugh with his stupid jokes, had warmed her with his quiet laugh, and the dimples that showed when he gave her a crooked smile. The strong, confident hands that had played her body like a finely tuned instrument. That wicked mouth that had said some truly filthy things and had brought her to the height of pleasure with ease. That gorgeous cock…

“Seriously, how are you not freaking out right now?” she demanded, cheeks flushed again.

Kakashi scratched his jaw thoughtfully. “I am, a little.”

“Promise?” She hated how young she sounded, but she needed to hear him say it. He looked so calm, but if he  _ wasn’t _ then a least she wasn’t alone. 

His features softened. “Promise.”

Sakura took in a deep breath through her nose, forcing her muscles to relax one by one. She continued twirling the senbon, using it as an outlet for her nervous energy, but she knew that their relationship had changed forever, and it had a very real chance of making a mess of their mission if they let it. 

“I’m going to be totally honest with you, Kakashi.” She touched her temple to stem the growing headache, but made no move to use her chakra yet. “This changes everything between us.”

Kakashi rubbed his jaw again and she wondered if it wasn’t a nervous gesture. “Yeah, it does,” he said finally.

She couldn’t look at him, but she had to know. “Do you regret it?”

She could feel him looking at her but she didn’t have the courage to meet his gaze. The longer he went without replying, the more nervous she became.

“That... is a complicated question,” he said finally and she winced. That was an understatement, but accurate all the same. 

Sakura chewed the senbon more forcefully, coming dangerously close to cutting her tongue. “I think…” She took a deep breath and lifted her head, locking her gaze on Kakashi’s even when it made her want to throw up. “I think my only regret is that I didn’t know it was you.”

The way his eyes widened told her he hadn't been expecting that answer, and his lack of disgust was enough to make her keep going. 

“When I thought of Sukea, I thought of a guy I had a good time with. Maybe I’d ask him out next time I saw him, and I  _ wanted _ to see him again. Now that I know Sukea is you… I’m not really sure what to think because I’ve never seen  _ Kakashi _ that way before. You were my friend, my teacher, someone I trusted, but…” Her lips quirked ruefully. “I never saw you as someone I would ever want to go out with or find attractive.” She winced, realizing that could be insulting and added, “No offense.”

Kakashi shrugged. “None taken. I hadn’t seen you that way either.” He held her gaze, his eyes gentle but sincere. “Sakura, you’ve been my student, and now you’re my friend. I respect you as a shinobi, and as a medic, but it had never occurred to me that we could…” 

The fact that he was struggling for words too made her relax a bit more. “Yeah, it just wasn’t on your radar.”

“Exactly.”

She took the senbon from her mouth but continued to play with the one in her hands. “But now that we have… I don’t exactly know how to combine you two in my head.”

Kakashi blew out a breath but his smile was amused. “I’m having the same problem. I met a beautiful young woman in Suna, and when I took her to bed, I didn’t expect… Any of it, really, but I enjoyed every second. And to find out that young woman is you…” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug and his smile grew. “As you said, it’s a bit different after you’ve been balls deep in someone.”

She couldn’t stop the snort from escaping and Kakashi’s smile turned into a grin. “Well, at least we know we have convincing chemistry.”

He breathed out a laugh. “That we do.”

She knew there was more to say, but she doubted either one of them was ready to put it into words just yet. “All right. For the mission, we’ll be an engaged couple. All of the victims have been women, and their deaths happened the night before the wedding. We know that they were poisoned, but it doesn’t leave much of a trace once the victim is dead. We don’t know how it enters the body, or how long it takes to kill them. However, some couples have gotten married without any incident so there’s something about these women that draws the killer, we just have to find out what.” She ran her fingers through her hair, itching to take the wig off and scratch her scalp but she didn’t. “We really don’t have much to go on, so we’ll have to play it by ear.” She chewed her bottom lip a moment before looking up at him again. “I think we’ll have to say that we’re in the process of planning our wedding. I’d rather not act as bait if I can help it, but it might be the only way to get the information we need.”

“The weddings themselves don’t look like they have any common theme aside from the location within the town, so we can probably choose to do whatever we want in that regard.” Kakashi’s lips twitched teasingly. “What sort of wedding do you want, Akina-chan?”

Hearing her fake name come from his lips again made her shiver and the bastard caught it because of course he did. “Well, I always thought I’d have a spring wedding, to be honest. Lots of flowers and all. But the ceremony itself should just be simple. Some friends and family, a pretty dress, and just a short ceremony with a party to celebrate afterward. And cake. We need cake.”

“Obviously. So we’ll need to work out a venue, flowers, food, the dress-”

“Formal wear for you,” she interrupted, knowing that he would rather stab himself in the eye than wear formal anything, and he confirmed her suspicions when he winced.

“Yes, formal wear for me. Invitations, someone to perform the ceremony, and… Am I missing anything?”

Sakura shrugged. “I honestly have no idea.”

“You didn’t plan your wedding to Sasuke when you were a kid?” he teased.

“Firstly, fuck you very much. Secondly, yeah I did, but it was ridiculous. I’m not a little girl anymore. Things have changed.” Kakashi’s lips twitched, but he was polite enough to not laugh, and so she didn’t feel the need to throw another stick at him and instead added it to the fire. “What about you? Did you have a dream wedding all planned out?”

She was teasing him but he thought seriously about his answer before saying, “No, I never really thought I’d get married.” He smiled at her but it was almost sad, and she realized that maybe his past had scarred him more deeply than she’d thought. In meeting Obito and fighting Kaguya, she’d learned far more about Kakashi as a young man, and thinking about it now made her heart ache all over again.

“Well, you are now. We’ll have to act like a couple even at home, I think. We don’t know how the victims are chosen, and the village has a lot of shinobi living there. For all we know, we’ll be watched all the time so…” She sighed heavily, eyeing their bedrolls sitting innocently under the tree. “Damn. We should probably sleep together tonight.”

He blinked slowly at her. “Umm…?”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “ _ Sleep _ , not fuck. If we seem awkward sleeping together at our base, it won’t be as convincing.  _ If _ we’re being watched,” she amended after seeing Kakashi’s brows disappear under his hair. “Am I being paranoid?”

“Maybe, but I’d rather be paranoid and catch this killer than not be paranoid and let them go free because we missed something. Or end up dead.”

“Right. And it’s not like we haven’t slept together before.” She paused, muttering under her breath, “It was after fucking our brains out all night, but whatever.” She pointedly ignored Kakashi’s snort of laughter because of course he’d heard her.

“As you say, taichou,” he said easily, rising to his feet to kick dirt over the fire. He missed the shiver his words caused, and she was grateful because she knew he would give her shit about it. She liked it a little too much when he acknowledged her authority, and she wasn’t quite ready to unpack that just yet.

Sakura stretched, tucking the senbon she had been playing with back into her bag and went about fixing their bedrolls. The night was cool, but it wouldn’t get cold enough to put either of them in danger and she knew now from experience that the body heat Kakashi produced in his sleep would keep them both warm without trouble. She kicked off her boots, placing them neatly at the foot of their makeshift bed, and slid under the top layer. The blankets were slow to warm despite the heat of her body, and she suppressed a shiver. Kakashi finished putting out the fire and then put his own boots beside hers. He paused, and she lifted the blanket for him. A soft huff of amusement sounded behind her and he slid into the bedroll, zipping it up behind him, and pressing their bodies close together. 

Kakashi shifted so his arm went beneath her head. She lifted it for a moment so he could get comfortable before she settled into him, her back against his warm chest, legs tangling together, and his free arm sliding hesitantly over her side. Sakura grabbed his hand, and tugged it more firmly forward until he was spooning her properly and she sighed, basking in the heat and reminded all over again how comfortable it was to lie with him. 

“Guess we don’t have any trouble here either,” she murmured, words slurring slightly as she hovered on the edge of sleep.

“Guess not.” Kakashi brushed his nose over her nape but made no move to do anything else, and she smiled, eyes closing as she fell immediately into slumber.

* * *

The rest of their journey was uneventful. Thankfully, their Sunagakure contact kept their meeting brief and to the point. The Kazekage would have a small house available for their exclusive use, including a small herb garden and a small room that could easily be converted into a dark room for Sukea’s photography. They had decided to keep his cover as a photographer, and Sakura was rather interested to see just how good he was at it. If they were lucky, his photographs would even help in the investigation, but they weren’t counting on it.

The house itself was small, perfect for a new couple. Sakura was suitably impressed with the well equipped kitchen and the east-facing vertical garden overflowing with herbs and vegetables in self-watering containers. A few large pots had been added artfully in one corner, containing more herbs, flowers, and if she wasn’t mistaken, berry bushes. It was far better than she could ever have dreamed and she would have to thank Gaara once the mission was over.

The dark room was perfect, and Kakashi was clearly pleased with it. Sakura watched in amusement as he snapped pictures of their new garden and the outside of the house. She doubted their quarry was watching them just yet, but it didn’t hurt to have photographic evidence of their surroundings.Kakashi was certainly enjoying himself. Sakura took their things into the bedroom and began putting their clothes away, folding them carefully and fighting the warmth that pooled in her belly when she saw their clothes hanging side by side in the wardrobe. Once done, she moved into the kitchen and began pulling pots and pans out to cook, pleased with the fully stocked fridge. Gaara really had outdone himself.

Sakura closed her eyes as she washed the vegetables, her hands moving on instinct as she settled into her alter ego, Akina. It was easiest to keep the most basic parts of one’s personality the same, but she had decided that Akina was more cheerful than her usual self, someone who was quick to smile and had few worries. Akina was a civilian through and through, a carefree young woman who hadn’t been harmed by the Fourth Shinobi War, had never had the blood of her loved ones on her hands as she put everything she had into knitting them back together, had never watched with cold eyes as life left the eyes of her enemies. Akina didn’t use senbon as chopsticks, was not a sannin-level medic nin trained by the great Godaime Tsunade herself, couldn’t crush steel with her fist, and didn’t know over one thousand ways to kill a man with her bare hands. Akina wasn’t best friends with the Nanadaime of Konoha, or Yamanaka Ino, an ANBU interrogation expert, or Uchiha Sasuke, a former rogue nin, and she most certainly hadn’t fought a fucking goddess to have her name added to the Bingo book in all five nations. No, Akina had no combat experience and never would.

Inner Sakura smirked. Akina was a fucking wuss.

Blue eyes opened and she looked out the window to spy her partner taking more pictures of the garden. Her smile was full and bright as she pushed the kitchen window open. “Sukea! Come help me make dinner!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank MSH and Wrenn for being such wonderful betas, and thank you to everyone who has left kudos, comments, and bookmarked this fic. It means the world to me. I don't reply to comments often, but know that I read them all and they make my day.

Sakura seriously questioned whether she could ever go through with a wedding for real as she walked through Garasu. It took too much time to go through the process of booking appointments for a florist and catering, looking at venues, and deciding on a tailor that suited her tastes. Everyone expected her to have specific ideas of what she wanted. After hours of walking around in the hot sun, she decided that she would much rather elope. Weddings were exhausting, and expensive. It was ridiculous. 

Feigning excitement for color schemes was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. She finally chose cream, pale green, and pink because she couldn’t pretend another second longer. Maybe this could be fun if she had her friends with her, or if her partner cared. Unfortunately, Kakashi cared less than she did, and was not helpful in the slightest.

_ Whatever you choose will be perfect, darling _ her ass. She could only hope that he didn’t choose salted saury and eggplant for their guests. 

Luckily, her appointments gave her ample opportunity to explore the town, and listen to the local gossip. Most of it was useless, but she listened carefully anyway. Everyone wanted details on her relationship with Sukea, and she made mental notes of each thing she said to relay to him later. They’d decided on a few details, choosing to keep things simple. They met in Suna six months ago. They’d shared a few drinks before spending all night together and the rest of their vacation getting to know one another. She’d returned home with him, and he proposed just four months into their relationship. Her ring was a simple gold band with a small pink stone that she rather liked, and she made sure to gush over it every chance she could. She was surprised how invasive the shopkeepers were in their questions and wondered if it was a civilian thing she hadn’t been aware of. It was becoming increasingly difficult to not tell people to mind their own damn business.

Later that night, as she got ready for bed, they compared their findings. She brushed her wig carefully, watching him through her mirror as he changed out of the long-sleeved shirt he insisted on wearing even in the desert. Instead of putting on another for bed, he chose to remain in a pair of loose linen pants that hung dangerously low on his sculpted hips, baring his delicious body to her hungry gaze. When his eyes caught hers in the mirror, he gave her a slow grin and she realized that he was doing it on purpose, damn him.

“I’ve decided that I hate weddings,” she announced, still careful to keep her voice low so it wouldn’t carry out the open windows.

“Oh?” He moved to stand behind her then took the brush from her. Holding her hair carefully, he began working through the tangles. It wasn’t even her real hair and he somehow managed to make it feel so good she couldn’t help a tiny moan of pleasure from escaping. 

“I forgot that weddings need themes. Color coordination. And everyone needs to hear every detail about your love story. Civilians are exhausting.”

Kakashi chuckled, braiding her hair into a neat plait and  _ where did he learn how to do that? _ He trailed his hands over her shoulders, gently kneading the muscles there with fingers strong and sure. She hummed in pleasure, leaning back and ducking her head down to keep him going. 

“So what  _ is _ our love story?” he asked, thumb digging into a particularly stubborn knot over her shoulder blade.

She grunted as the knot eased under his expert hands, and opened one eye to appraise him through the mirror. “We met at a bar in Suna and started talking. Ended up staying up all night and then spent the rest of our respective vacations together. I followed you to Konoha instead of going home, and you proposed after dating for four months. We’ve decided to move here because it’s where we met and this house was a good deal.”

“Ah.” He followed the muscles in her back with his palms in long, sweeping strokes and she felt the tension that had built up over the course of the day melt away. “How did I propose?”

“Asked me to get you a film canister from the bedroom and had me open it. Inside was the ring.”

Kakashi paused, looking up from his work to meet her eyes. “That isn’t embarrassing.”

She breathed out a laugh, looking up at him through her bangs. The way he said it sounded so bewildered that she had to ask, “Should it have been?”

“Probably, but it’s too late now. The story is out in the world and you can’t take it back.”

“Well, now I wish I could.”

“Too late. No take backs.”

Sakura laughed harder, disrupting the massage when she leaned against his hips and stomach and looked up. “You’re so weird.”

“You like it,” he teased back, running his thumb over the line of her jaw in a way that felt affectionate. 

“Hmm.” She couldn’t exactly disagree with that. Her eyes slid closed and her lips curved in a soft smile when his hands returned to her shoulders, gently running over the lines of her throat and jaw in featherlight caresses. “I didn’t ask too many questions today, just acted like a newcomer. I’m going to try to find the gossip hub tomorrow. You get anything?”

“Mm, not too much. It doesn’t seem like the shinobi in the area are taking it seriously since the victims were only civilians.”

Her eyes snapped open and she frowned, twisting away to look up at him. “That’s interesting. That doesn’t necessarily mean that shinobi are safe, but if none have been targeted so far and four civilian women are dead then it looks like a pattern.” Distracted, she stood and moved to the wardrobe, peeling off the shirt and pants she had worn all day. If only civilians were being targeted, there was a chance that the killer was a civilian too, but she couldn’t rule out shinobi involvement yet. If the shinobi were so uncaring, it was possible that someone had a grudge against civilians. Given the nosiness she had encountered today, she couldn’t say she really blamed them for wanting it to stop, but she doubted anyone would take it to that extreme.

She wiggled out of her bra then grabbed a tank top from the wardrobe. She pulled it over her head, and shook her braid loose to see Kakashi lying back on the bed, arms crossed behind his head, and an amused expression on his face as he watched her.

“By all means, do continue. I was enjoying the show.”

Sakura rolled her eyes but didn’t fight the smile that tugged on the corners of her mouth. “I’m done stripping now, but thank you. I’m here every night.”

That made him laugh, and she was rather proud of herself. She loved his laugh, a quiet, husky sound that went straight to her heart. A sound that she didn’t hear nearly often enough. 

She grabbed a pair of sleep shorts from the drawer and tugged them on, wiggling her hips just to tease him before she closed the windows and flicked off the light. The temperature had dipped with the sun, chasing away the desert heat. His eyes followed her as she straddled his hips, hands braced beneath his bulging biceps to hover over him. It was so natural to dip her head and brush her lips over his, her touch so light it could barely be considered a kiss. 

She could try and tell herself it was for the sake of the mission, but she couldn't sense anyone nearby watching them. The mission was no longer forefront in her mind. No, hazy memories of sweat-slicked bodies and frantic hands and mouths flickered through her mind’s eye. She was powerless to resist the allure of his lips. He kissed her back, the pressure increasing gradually until her mouth slanted over his, tongue lazily sweeping over his lips and drawing a soft sigh from him. Sakura shifted her weight forward, falling to her elbows, and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. He tasted of mint and the heat of summer. She melted into him, humming contentedly when his arms shifted from behind his head to wrap around her, hands slipping under her top to caress smooth skin. Their kisses were languid, a gentle exploration, and neither made a move to go a step further. 

Sakura didn't know how much time had passed by the time she finally pulled away, but she couldn’t help the smile that formed when she saw Kakashi so relaxed beneath her, his thumbs making gentle circles on the bare skin of her waist. “Can you go look at the possible venues tomorrow? I don’t want to.”

Kakashi hummed. “Sure. You don’t want to help choose?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t actually care where it’s supposed to take place if it’s not going to be real.” Sakura shifted until she could rest her cheek on his shoulder, arm draped over his chest and her other hand hovering near his hair. “We’re going to need to be seen together in town to really sell it though. Choosing the cake and maybe the flowers.”

“Mm. Alright. Tomorrow?” His fingers continued to make lazy designs over her skin and she closed her eyes, basking in his warmth and touch.

“Uh-huh,” she murmured sleepily. 

Kakashi pressed a kiss against her hair and shifted until he could pull the sheets over them both. “Sleep well, Akina-chan.”

* * *

Sakura was beginning to hate Akina. Retaining her bubbly attitude was  _ exhausting _ and Kakashi clearly understood her struggle and found it funny. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep herself from elbowing him in the ribs whenever he looked at her, brows up, the very picture of innocence each time he teased her. She deeply regretted not making Akina snarky because she was positively itching to put him in his place and he fucking knew it.

“Akina-san, what do you think of these?”

The florist held out a bouquet of flowers for her to inspect, and Sakura took them in her hands, lifting them to her nose to take a deep sniff. The deep blush of camellia was tempered by the tiny sprays of white heliotrope and the bold red and orange tulips was certainly an interesting combination. Orange always reminded her of Naruto’s genin uniform and made her smile. The combination of the differing textures and the scent of the heliotrope was divine, but not right. She shook her head and handed the bouquet back. 

“Maa, what about sakura blossoms?” Kakashi asked, brushing his fingers over the tiny flowers in a nearby vase.

“No, darling. They’re too cliche.” Sakura slid her fingers into his hair and tugged just so. A tiny warning, and one that he recognized and ignored.

“Gladiolas are quite lovely, how about a bouquet with those?” the florist asked, indicating the tall flowers in various containers. 

They  _ were _ beautiful, she thought. A bit awkward to hold in a bouquet though, given the tower of blooms, but she did like the colors. 

“Maybe not in the bouquet, but they would be very pretty in a centerpiece, don’t you think?” She tugged Kakashi’s sleeve, and was surprised when instead of replying, he held out a small bouquet of sweet pea, peony, olive, and baby's breath. Her mouth dropped open as she took it. Her eyes landed on the ribbon he must have stolen from somewhere as she inhaled the sweet scent of the blooms. She wondered if he was aware of the meaning of these flowers, but even if he wasn’t, Ino would be proud of the composition.

“Oh, that’s lovely,” the florist said, looking positively smitten. “Sukea-san, that is so sweet!”

“It’s beautiful.” Sakura couldn’t stop staring at it. It was exactly the sort of thing she would have chosen. “I want this.” From the corner of her eye she saw Kakashi’s pleased smile, but her focus was on the florist, who fluttered around her, writing down exactly what was in the bouquet to be recreated on the day of the wedding. She heard a click and realized that Kakashi’s camera was out and aimed in her direction. She had no idea if the focus was on the bouquet or her, but found she didn’t actually mind either way. The shutter snapped several more times, and she fought the smile that threatened to form on her lips. She had never thought that Kakashi would be good at playing this role, but he was. It was rather sweet.

As they left the shop several minutes later, she tangled her fingers in his and looked up at him with a beaming smile. “A literal olive branch? What did you do?” 

He heaved a put-upon sigh and looked up at the sky, but there was no missing the amused quirk of his mouth. “So suspicious.”

“Only because I know you, mister.” She poked his chest with her finger and he grinned, catching her finger and bringing it up to brush a kiss over her sensitive fingertip. “Very smooth.”

“Always.” He released her hand and leaned down to kiss her cheek instead. “Am I forgiven?”

Sakura laughed, charmed despite herself. “So you  _ did _ do something.”

“No faith,” he sighed again. “I chose it because I liked the texture.”

“Uh-huh.” It probably was why, but she wasn’t about to stop teasing him about it anytime soon. “Cake?”

His smile was indulgent, but he let her drag him over to a bakery without complaint. Any comments Kakashi had on the cakes she took with a grain of salt, given the fact that he wasn’t much of a fan of sweets and he was clearly taking cues from her. She wondered if he would even want a cake at his wedding. He probably would, if only to to make his guests happy, but the chances of him eating it were slim. If she was honest, she would have been just fine with a dango stand but Akina was the sort to want a pretty cake, and that’s what they would have.

After cake tasting, and making plans to visit another cake shop the next day, they made their way back toward their temporary home, pausing occasionally for Kakashi to take pictures of anything he found interesting, and occasionally of Sakura herself, much to her amusement. At one point, he took her hand in his, snapping a picture of their entwined fingers. 

Sakura nudged him with her hip. “That can be in our wedding album,” she said, and laughed when he lifted the camera to catch her smile. “Come on, we need one together.” She tugged him by the collar and pressed a kiss to his cheek, her smile never abating as she heard the click of the shutter. The next moment he turned his head and his lips met hers, their noses bumping, and he laughed through the kiss as the shutter clicked again.

It was so easy to be with Kakashi like this. It felt oddly natural, like they had been so close their whole lives and not just a day. Openly affectionate and chatting about nothing important even as their shinobi senses were acutely attuned to the world around them. She knew how they looked, and the fact that she wasn’t really acting at all was something she didn’t want to examine just yet. At least their cover was a success. She saw the smiles of the shopkeepers and passersby as they walked, reading the words on their lips as they gossiped. There was no doubt in her mind that Kakashi could hear what she could not, but the general gist of what she saw was that they were making a positive impression even to the more stoic people of the Sand. She had learned from Naruto long ago that open affection and positivity might be annoying in some ways, but it was also infectious. In being public with their affections, it was easier to see the reactions of those around them. Most were positive, and they received smiles and a few well wishes from the more talkative citizens. 

“Ah, I know you two!”

Sakura barely stopped herself from freezing mid-step and she turned her head to see a vaguely familiar man hurry over to them from the doorway of a tavern. He stopped a few feet away, studying their features and then giving them a brilliant smile.

“I knew it! I never forget a face! You two were in Suna six months ago!”

Kakashi’s brows rose into his hairline and he exchanged a bewildered glance with Sakura. “We were, but I don’t remember you?”

The man laughed, apparently unconcerned. “You two were pretty drunk by the time my shift started so I’m not surprised. I was your bartender until you left together. I had a feeling you two were solid! Was that your first date?”

This was...unexpected. Sakura blinked and then forced herself to smile. “It’s where we first met, yes. I’m so sorry we didn’t remember you…?”

“Hiroki,” he supplied, grabbing her hands in both of his and giving them a warm shake before doing the same to Kakashi. “I understand! You only had eyes for each other, after all!”

Was that how they had appeared? It was true that she had been lost in their conversation, her eyes drinking in his handsome face and every move he had made as the night wore on, but it hadn’t occurred to her that her scrutiny had been so obvious to anyone else, and apparently he hadn’t been any better. Kakashi and Sakura stared at one another for a moment before her eyes softened and she wrapped her arms around his waist and he settled his around her shoulders. 

“It’s good to officially meet you then, Hiroki-san. What are you doing here in Garasu?” Kakashi asked, bowing his head to a passerby as their little group moved out of the middle of the road and under the awning of the tavern.

“My brother’s wife just had a baby, so I’m covering for him for a few weeks at the tavern so he can spend time with them.” Hiroki ran his hand over his hair and gave them a sheepish grin. “I know this is weird, but would you like to come in and have a drink? On the house!”

Kakashi and Sakura exchanged looks again and she nodded, smiling sweetly at Hiroki. “All right, we’d be happy to if you aren’t busy.”

“Not at all. Please, come in!” Hiroki bowed and held open the canvas flap that served as a door, ushering them inside. The tavern was dim and blessedly cool in comparison to the heat outside. The windows were open to catch any possible breeze, and canvas stretched outward to provide deep shade from an unrelenting desert sun. A few patrons occupied the tables, but the bar was empty and Hiroki urged them to take seats there before he slipped behind the bar and began mixing drinks. Sakura noted the position of each patron behind her, from the three young men crowded around a table playing cards to the older couple sitting in a corner talking quietly, but did not detect any particular threat.

It was early afternoon and that was a bit early to start imbibing in her opinion, but Sakura was intrigued by the cheerful man; she leaned forward against the bar and gave him a brilliant smile. Her position pressed her breasts up and out, providing a tantalizing view down the neckline of her shirt, and Hiroki valiantly worked to ignore it, much to her amusement. “A cup of sake, please.”

“Me too.” Kakashi wrapped an arm around her waist, his thumb idly caressing her through her shirt and she leaned into him, nodding her thanks when Hiroki set down two cups and filled them with sake.

“Kampai!” Sakura tapped her cup to Kakashi’s and sipped, closing her eyes as she savored the flavor. One of the greatest lessons Tsunade had impressed upon her as her teacher had been an appreciation of fine sake, and Hiroki hadn’t skimped on the quality. 

“So what are you two doing here in Garasu?” Hiroki asked as he washed several sake cups and carefully set them on the towel laid out on the bar. 

“We’re getting married.” 

Sakura almost laughed at the comical amount of excitement this virtual stranger showed upon hearing their news. He immediately stopped washing the cups and refilled both of their cups. “How wonderful! I knew there was something about you two! Congratulations!”

“Thank you.” Kakashi pressed a kiss to her temple before sipping his sake, and Hiroki was almost bouncing with glee. In a way, he reminded her a bit of Lee.

“Ah, I’m never wrong, you know,” he said sagely as he returned to washing sake cups. “I knew there was something between you two. Thought you’d melt the bar with the amount of chemistry between you.” He waggled his eyebrows at them and Sakura covered her laugh with her hand, eyes dancing. He really was reminding her more and more of Lee and she couldn’t unsee it now. 

Sakura looked up at Kakashi, nuzzling his jaw, and he hummed in response, stroking her hair and then taking up his sake cup. “It was a good night,” he said, and Sakura was tempted to pinch him for that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Ah, it warmed my heart to see you two get along so well, and to leave together!” Hiroki shook his head, a fond smile on his lips. “And now you’re getting married. I feel truly blessed to have been there at the start, you know.”

“Oh?” Kakashi ran his finger over the rim of the sake cup, head tilted in a way she recognized as a gesture he made while deep in thought. 

“Of course!” Hiroki laid his palms flat on the bar, leaning forward to look Kakashi in the eye. “To be there at the start of an epic love is something to be cherished!”

Epic? Sakura paused in bringing her sake to her lips, eyes wide as she took in this stranger’s words. He had observed them as an outsider, completely unaware of their past together, of their true identities, motivations, and feelings, and came to this conclusion. What had been just a one night stand to them had appeared to be something far more, and that was an interesting thought. Even though they were faking their relationship now, this man truly believed in their connection through his observations of that night, and it stirred something in her chest that she wasn’t willing to give a name to quite yet. Their acting in front of him now only reaffirmed what he already thought six months ago. 

Sakura smiled, tightening her arm around Kakashi’s waist. He angled his head toward her and she touched his jaw with her fingertips, drawing him down into a soft kiss. She felt him smile through the kiss, his lips playfully nipping at hers before they parted, foreheads pressed together. His eyes were blurry this close, but despite the purple paint and the wrong color of his hair and brows, and the shade of his eyes off just a touch, he was more than Sukea. He was Kakashi, too.

“Epic,” Hiroki said again with conviction, and he poured them both another cup of sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flower meanings for Kakashi's bouquet: sweet pea (thank you, blissful pleasure), peony (happy marriage, good fortune), baby’s breath (purity, everlasting love), olive branches (heh).


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet! Updating the tags, so please check those for possible squicks. Earning that E rating again here. ;)
> 
> Huge thanks to my betas, as always.

There was tension in the air the next day, but Sakura couldn’t pinpoint just what it was that had changed. When she and Kakashi arrived at their bakery appointment, they were greeted in a professional manner, but something was off. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she found herself paying more attention to the chefs and owner than the cake. No one was rude, but there was a caution this time, like the people of the village were observing them more closely than before. Kakashi affirmed her suspicions with a tightening of his grip on her fingers for an instant before he let go to taste another cake. 

Acting as a civilian gave her a severe handicap, making it that much more difficult to use her chakra to feel things out without being detected. That said, even when she did spread her chakra around her like a blanket, no thicker than a hair, all she felt were civilians. There was no killing intent that she could sense, but there was certainly  _ something _ in the air and it rankled that she couldn’t figure out why.

She and Kakashi were as affectionate as before, holding hands and exchanging chaste kisses while they went about their errands, but that sense of unease refused to leave. After tasting all of the cakes the second bakery had to offer, she decided on one in particular without actually caring at all, and put in an order. It would be a lovely cake with fondant flowers to match her bridal bouquet, but the vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream frosting held no real appeal. It would taste good enough, but she was distracted by the vague edginess that permeated the whole village.

Kakashi seemed largely unaffected by it, but she knew that he was taking things in just as carefully as she was, cataloging each expression, scent, and conversation he caught. His camera shutter snapped away, focused mainly on the scenery and her, but she hoped that they would get lucky enough to catch something useful that their eyes had missed. 

That night, he disappeared into the darkroom to develop the film as she made dinner, her thoughts running wild. The knife moved with practiced ease as she chopped vegetables and the meat of a desert hare. Her hands moved on autopilot as she ran through the day’s appointments, and what had changed. The only thing she could think of was the meeting with Hiroki. She’d thought that his knowledge would have solidified their status as a couple, not cause whatever it was that now seemed to infect the whole town. Something had changed, and it irked her to no end that she couldn’t put her finger on what.

Sakura hummed to herself as she worked, setting the rice cooker, sauteing vegetables and then chopping fresh spring onions from the garden as a garnish. It was almost meditative, her thoughts far away, until she felt it. It was faint, just a tickle on the edge of her senses, but there was no mistaking it. Someone was watching.

She made no move to indicate she was aware, continuing her work in the kitchen even as she spread her senses outward. Just one person, and they had no chakra signature to speak of. A civilian then. Intrigued, she pulled her chakra back. Vegetables plated on a bed of rice and a light sauce, she chopped the cooked hare and set it aside. 

“Sukea!” she called. She didn’t expect a response and clicked her tongue when only silence followed. “Sukea!” She grumbled under her breath and left the kitchen to knock on the outer door of the darkroom. A moment later she heard the inner door open and close, and she stepped back to make room as the outer door opened. “Dinner.”

Brows lifted, Kakashi closed the door again behind him. “I’ll just get changed then.”

She nodded, barely moving her lips as she added, “We have a watcher.”

He didn’t respond but she saw the flash of interest in his eyes before he turned and went into the bedroom.

“Did you get any good pictures?” She raised her voice even though she didn’t need to given his acute hearing. She idly wondered if it was even too loud for him. Not that he would ever say so.

“Some, yeah.” His words were faintly muffled as he pulled a long sleeved shirt over his head, giving her a tantalizing view of smooth skin and the delicious vee at his hips that she remembered tracing with her tongue six months ago. It was only a second, but from the faint curve of his lips she knew he had caught her looking because of course he had. 

“Anything for our album?” She placed a plate in front of him and handed him a pair of chopsticks before sitting down across from him and picking up her own. 

“Aa. Itadakimasu.” Kakashi chewed thoroughly and swallowed before continuing, “A few pictures might be useful.”

That was far better news than she could have hoped for. “Wonderful!” She took a bite of her own dinner and nodded to herself. Not her best work but it tasted good. “Can I see them after dinner?”

Kakashi smiled and nodded, but didn’t say anything more for the rest of the meal. Clearly deep in thought, she didn’t try to pull him into conversation like she normally would. Instead, she happily dug into her food and sent out tendrils of chakra. It had taken years of practice, but she had learned how to spread her chakra to the molecular level and molded it to match her surroundings. It would be virtually invisible to anyone without a Byakugan or Sharingan kekkei genkai. Spreading her chakra so thin and in a wide circle gave her a detailed mental map of her surroundings and allowed her to sense exactly where their observer was hiding. Whoever it was had to be a civilian due to their awkward positioning, and when her chakra slid over their body she noted a distinct lack in muscle definition that no shinobi would allow. Whoever they were, she knew that they were stationed far enough away from the window to remain hidden from sight and had a clear view of the kitchen and possibly the bedroom if they climbed the tree they hid behind. That said, they were too far to hear anything spoken quietly, which was a plus. Sakura had half a mind to set a trap there but decided against it. It was certainly suspicious behavior, but it didn’t necessarily mean they were there to do any harm. For all she knew, it was a peeping tom.

“Civilian only,” she murmured, knowing he would hear her.

Kakashi looked up in interest but didn’t appear particularly surprised. “Doesn’t smell like a shinobi. No metal.”

She smiled around her chopsticks. She’d almost forgotten about his sensitive nose. “Could be a peeping tom.”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Could be.” His tone indicated he didn’t believe it likely any more than she did.

Sakura tapped her chopsticks against the side of her dish, thinking. “I saw a few jounin who could be a challenge if we had to engage, but I still can’t tell if shinobi are even involved. It’s too bad we can’t just capture our friend out there and interrogate them without an international fiasco.”

Kakashi's lips twitched as he suppressed a smile and since he was no longer wearing his mask, she could actually see it instead of inferring his expression from just the visible quarter of his face. 

“Will you need a lab to create an antidote?”

She nodded. “Technically, yes. If I find someone fast enough, I can remove the poison from the body with my chakra and they should be fine after that. Provided I can heal the damage that was done. After that, I could just synthesize an antidote from what I removed, but I would need more materials than we have here to create more than one dose.”

“Suna doesn’t have poison experts?” He frowned and she understood his confusion. In her opinion, every country needed at least a handful of medics who were poison experts, but apparently not everyone agreed. 

“Chiyo-sama was one, and once she died, all of her knowledge died with her. As far as I’m aware, Suna hasn’t found anyone comparable yet. It’s probably why I was called in for this mission.” She would have to talk to Gaara about training medic nin in Sunagakure to handle poisons after this mission was complete. It was a grave oversight for any hospital, and with her personal connection to the Kazekage and his siblings, she had a good chance in convincing them to allow Konoha to assist in training them and outfitting their facilities. That said, it was a thought to shelve for later perusal. After the mission.

Sakura shook her head and ran a tired hand over her jaw. “If I’m poisoned, there’s a good chance I’m already immune, unless it’s a chakra-blocking poison. I can usually force my system to metabolize it faster and expel it before any major damage is done.”

She looked up and saw Kakashi regarding her with a tiny smile, and if she wasn’t mistaken, not a little pride. It hadn’t occurred to her before, but she didn’t think he had ever seen her work with poison, only heard about it after the fact. The process wasn’t particularly difficult once you knew exactly how to stimulate the liver and kidneys to metabolize the poison faster, or how to gather the molecules of a poison and coax them through the various membranes and out of the body using chakra. Too little chakra and nothing happened. Too much and both medic and patient suffered chakra burns and ran the risk of doing internal damage. It was a precise art, but she knew that with proper training, any medic should have been able to do the bare minimum. Theoretically, anyway. 

“Shall we look at the pictures after dinner?”

Kakashi nodded, tilting his bowl to catch the last bit of rice with his chopsticks. He picked up his dishes and made his way to her side of the table, adding hers to the pile. His lips brushed against her temple, his words brushing over her skin like silk, “Delicious.”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling too much. The lower timber of his voice made it sound like he was talking about more than just their meal, and it sent a bolt of desire straight through to her core. There was no doubt in her mind that he had done it on purpose, confirmed by his mischievous wink as he went into the kitchen and began washing up.

“Meet me in the darkroom!” Sakura pushed her chair in and made her way through the house, anxious to see just what his photos had captured. The sudden darkness in the antechamber followed by the red light in the darkroom itself made her pause, her eyes adjusting to the rapid change. Once clear, she slowly stepped up to the wires hanging across the room, dozens of photos hanging from small clips. She studied each one, noting that the far wire held the ones he had obviously taken just to hold their cover. She rather liked the closeup of their kiss, even though their noses were awkwardly squished and they were both laughing. The focus was slightly off-center, more on her than him, but it captured her fingers on his jaw and his dimples and the tiny mole below his lip.

Sakura touched the edge of the photo and couldn’t stop her lips from curving up into a smile. It was a good picture, especially since he’d been distracted while taking it. Maybe she could keep it after the mission was completed. 

The outer door opening drew her out of her musings and she stepped back to look at the other photos, carefully going over the details in each one. Kakashi stepped into the darkroom and touched her waist to alert her of his position and she made room for him so he could stand beside her. 

“This one might be something.” He touched a photo to her right and she stood on her toes to study it closer. Instead of the focus being on the flower box, he had instead captured the expressions of the two women standing beside it. Their heads were close together, lips parted in the middle of a conversation, but their eyes were clearly on the photographer. Both women had their eyes narrowed in suspicion, mouths drawn in hard lines. After she had studied it for a moment, she looked at the photo beside it. The same women stood beside the flower box but this time their expressions were more open, mouths curved up into smiles. Both times their gazes were on Kakashi.

“When was this one taken?” She tapped the first picture.

“Today.” Kakashi flicked a finger toward the other photo. “And that one was yesterday.”

“So something happened between yesterday and today that changed their minds about us.”

“Mmhmm.” Kakashi pointed out several other photos, and she saw that those two women were not the only ones to have gone through an attitude change. Men and women both had apparently changed their tune. Their first impression had apparently been favorable. Whatever had changed their minds had made them not only suspicious, but she thought she saw disapproval in their gazes too.

“Do you remember what I was doing when you took this?” she asked, tapping the first picture.

Kakashi tilted his head in thought. “Nothing really of note. I think you were looking at a shop window.”

Sakura frowned, eyes roving over the photos until she spotted another one. This time the expressions were that of barely disguised disgust. “What about this one?”

His lips kicked up into a smirk. “You had your hand on my ass.”

“Really? Interesting.” She leaned forward and studied it more closely. The shot was off-center again but she could still clearly see the man’s curled upper lip and wrinkled nose. The woman standing beside him was marginally more subtle, but there was no missing her upturned nose and pinched lips. 

“I wasn’t expecting it, that’s why the shot is off-center.”

Sakura glanced at him from the corner of her eye and smirked. “Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all.

Kakashi hummed in response, clearly not believing her. “Don’t know if that’s why they’re looking at us like that though.”

“Mm.” The only difference she could think of, aside from where they had shopped, was meeting up with Hiroki at the tavern. It was odd though, she would have thought that having a third party corroborate their story would have made them more believable. If it was indeed Hiroki who had changed public opinion of them, she couldn’t fathom a reason as to why. Neither she nor Kakashi had revealed their shinobi status that night in Sunagakure, and she couldn’t think of anything about that night that would make a village hate them. 

She scanned the rest of the photos until she found one villager whose expression didn’t change at all. There was only faint amusement in both pictures and that was intriguing. Sakura pulled the photo from the wire and handed it to Kakashi. “I think you should talk to him.”

Kakashi studied the photo thoughtfully, a slow grin revealing perfect teeth and a sharp canine that made him look more roguish than he had any right to be. Not for the first time, she wondered if he was somehow related to the Inuzuka clan given his sensitive nose and wolfish smile. 

“Any luck finding the gossip hub?”

Sakura curled her upper lip in disgust. “No. I’ll try again tomorrow. There’s a spa just outside of town that should be a good place to start.”

“You should probably book a full treatment there before the wedding. Asuma did that for Kurenai before theirs.” The flash of pain was there and gone, and if she hadn’t known to look for it she would have missed it. While Kakashi hadn’t been particularly close to the other jounin sensei, it had still been a blow. 

“He did? I didn’t know that.” Sakura turned back to studying the photos, searching for any other faces that stood out to her and finding none.

“Mm. Asuma always was a romantic at heart.”

Satisfied she had found all that she could for now, she left the darkroom and entered the common area, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. Kakashi closed the outer door behind him and reached for her hand, drawing her into his arms. Her palms rested on the hard planes of his chest and she looked up at him, one brow cocked in question. 

“We’re still being watched,” he murmured against her cheek, his nose brushing over the skin of her temple.

A quick scan with her chakra confirmed his statement, and she bit back a sigh. “Guess we’re not off the hook yet, then.” She slid her hands over his chest to rest on the back of his neck, fingers tangling in the hairs at his nape. His breath brushed over her lips, and she nudged his nose with hers. Angling her head upward, but not close enough for their lips to touch. Kakashi’s hands settled at her hips, guiding her to step closer until she was flush from thighs to throat. Their eyes locked, dark gray to bright blue, and she saw a flash of humor before his lips met hers.

His body was deliciously warm against hers, and she pressed into him, savoring the sculpted muscles of his chest against her softer curves. Even with two layers of clothing between them, her nipples pebbled and a faint moan escaped at the friction. Kakashi’s fingers tightened for a moment, and then his mouth slanted over hers, and she melted into him. Somehow they stumbled back to the couch, refusing to allow their lips to part even as Kakashi fell back against the cushions. Sakura followed him down, straddling his hips, and pressing him into the back of the couch. He didn’t fight her, angling his head up to let her devour his mouth instead. Fingers tugging on his hair and then running down his neck to grip his shoulders. She rocked her hips into him, and smiled into the kiss when she felt his hardening length press against her core. 

“Wanna give them a show?” she breathed, swollen lips just brushing over his. 

Heat flared in his eyes, and he tightened his grip on her ass, fingers digging into the soft flesh and making her moan. She could feel his cock twitch with interest, and she grinned, tongue lapping playfully at his lower lip until he caught it and gave it a hard suck. “Mm, never would have taken you for an exhibitionist.”

Her grin turned feral. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She sat back and pushed him down until he lay on the couch, head at one end and feet at the other. Satisfied, she pushed his shirt up to reveal his abs and leaned forward to trace the muscles with her tongue, dropping open mouthed kisses and soft sucks as she went. Muscles twitched under her ministrations, and she smiled, looking up into dark eyes as she inched lower and dipped her tongue into his navel. Long fingers dove into her hair and massaged her scalp, tugging gently at her hair and gently holding her head in place as she slid her fingers into the waistband of his pants and slowly tugged it down. Her chin brushed against his hard length, and she dipped her head to mouth the head through his pants. A broken moan escaped and Kakashi’s fingers tightened in her hair, pushing her closer. She didn’t fight him. She let him rock his hips against her mouth, her eyes locked on his face to watch as he panted for breath. 

He was so beautiful like this, sweat glistening on his alabaster skin, cheeks flushed, and dark eyes hazy with lust. She never would have thought of him as the vocal sort, but he made the most delicious sounds when she mouthed his erection. One hand cupping his balls while the other slowly tugged his pants down. Once freed, his cock sprang up and she moaned when it slapped against her lips, a sound he echoed. She closed her eyes as she gripped his length in one hand, lips parted and tongue out to lap at the swollen head. It wasn’t enough, she knew, but she pressed him down into the couch when he tried thrusting his hips to demand more. His fingers tightened even more in her hair, muscles bunching as he tried pushing her head down but she ignored it, taking her time. Teasing with little kitten licks that she knew were driving him insane, especially when a low growl rumbled from his chest and he swore under his breath.

“You want to fuck my mouth, Sukea?” she whispered against his cock head, tapping it against her bottom lip and then pressing a light kiss to the tip.

“ _ Fuck yes _ ,” he hissed, fingers twitching against her scalp but he didn’t try pushing her down again.

“Mm. Ask nicely.” Sakura pressed another soft kiss to the vein that ran up his cock, her fingers loose enough to only just hold it in place.

Kakashi’s head fell back against the couch and his throat worked as he ground out, “ _ Please _ .”

“Good boy.” Her words ghosted over his skin and then his cock was in her mouth, the head bumping the back of her throat as she hollowed her cheeks and  _ sucked _ .

“ _ Ahn-ah! _ ” His cock twitched in her mouth and she hummed, tightening the suction as she slowly lifted her head. She loved the way his cock stretched her lips. How it pressed, hot and heavy, against her tongue. The taste of him, the little gasps and moans that escaped him. The way his thighs flexed beneath her as he fought not to thrust into her mouth too hard. Heat pooled between her legs and she shifted her weight, rubbing her thighs together in an attempt to get even a little friction where she needed it most.

A kiss to the now weeping head and then she plunged down, taking him into her throat and holding him there, tongue shifting against his shaft as best she could with her mouth so full. A strangled sound escaped him and his fingers scrabbled at her hair and shoulders. His cock left her lips with an obscene pop, a string of saliva trailing from the aching tip to her lips.

The flush on his cheeks was darker than before. She smiled and trailed open mouthed kisses along his shaft, tongue laving the hot skin, but she didn’t bring him into her mouth again.

“Fucking tease,” he growled, fingers sliding to her jaw in a way that was too firm to be a caress. “You like sucking my cock, baby?”

Sakura dipped her head and sucked one of his testicles in her mouth in answer, gently laving it with her tongue. His grip faltered and she hummed, her tongue sliding down the seam of his sac. The short hair, neatly trimmed she was pleased to see, brushed deliciously against her lips as she dipped lower, her tongue prodding the base of his sac and the start of his perineum. Normally, she wouldn’t go so far on a man but the way his body trembled beneath her and the positively wrecked look on his face drove her on. 

“Hah, that’s good. So good.” Kakashi fell back on his elbows, hips rocking unconsciously. Sakura pressed her thumb against his perineum and wished she could use her chakra to really drive him wild. Instead, she slid her fingers over his cock, an achingly gentle caress, and lifted her head to suck just the tip into her mouth. “ _ Ahn! _ Fuck, I love your mouth so much.”

More than a little smug, Sakura sucked the head one more time before pulling away so she could stand. His eyes followed her as she began to shed her clothes. She only managed to take her shirt off herself before he threw his own off and sat up, hands reaching for her hips to drag her pants and underwear down in one pull. A soft giggle escaped as he lifted his hips to help her remove his pants and boxer briefs, leaving them both completely bare. She didn’t get any time to admire him though. Strong hands grasped her hips and brought her forward, forcing her to spread her legs to stand on either side of his. 

“You wet for me?” he whispered, his nose brushing against her hip. Callused fingers slid over her hip bones trailing inward, and then he spread her labia and latched his mouth on her sex. Sakura’s fingers dove into his unruly locks, a strangled moan caught in her throat as he licked and sucked her swollen clit, thumbs holding her open. The sounds his mouth made as he lapped at her, suckling at her folds and clit and driving her mad with desire, were absolutely filthy and she  _ loved _ it. There was no gentleness as he devoured her, only desperation as her juices flooded his mouth.

“Sukea,” she breathed, fingers tightening against his scalp. “ _ Yes _ .” So encouraged, he slid two fingers into her coaxing out a moan, low and long, hips rocking as she fucked his face. Her walls fluttered around the intrusion, but it wasn’t enough. It couldn’t be, but it felt too good. Fire coursed through her veins, liquid heat that burned her from the inside out and pooled on his tongue. 

“ _ Delicious _ ,” he rasped, tongue sliding up her slit. His lips closed over her clit, and she fought not to scream as the fire turned to electricity. 

Her fingers tugged ineffectually at his hair. She wanted more but she lacked the words to speak, mind numb as pleasure ripped through her. Her legs buckled and she would have fallen if his arms hadn’t wrapped around her. His name was on her lips, but she couldn’t form the word. She could hardly breathe. The strokes of his tongue over her quivering sex gentled, gathering her release so he could savor it. She watched as he swallowed and then went back for more, lapping at her to catch each drop on his hot tongue.

It was a struggle, but she somehow managed to pull back enough to push him back onto the couch. His hands traced her curves with a reverence she was too dazed to think about as she swung around, and planted her knees on either side of his head, her core hovering over his face The weeping tip of his cock bobbed in front of her, and she didn’t waste any time before wrapping her fingers around the base and taking him into her mouth to the root, her nose pressed into the soft skin of his sac.

“ _ Fuck! _ ” 

His shout was accompanied by a thrust of the hips that would have gagged anyone else, but Sakura held on and hollowed her cheeks, sliding her tongue over his length as she began to move over him. She had to wriggle her hips to get his attention, but once reminded, he went to work on her still dripping sex. 

Still sensitive from her orgasm, she whimpered when his thumbs parted her outer lips, her moan turning into a strangled cry when he pressed the flat of his tongue to her clit. The vibrations from her mouth made his hips jerk, and somehow they settled into a rhythm. Three long fingers in her sex. Her hands cupping his balls and wrapping around his cock as she bobbed up and down, angling her head on each downward stroke. Soon she was lost, awash in heat and pleasure, her hips rocking against his mouth while he fucked hers. There was no finesse, no gentleness, only a wild ride that nearly drove her mad with pleasure.

“Akina, I’m close, baby.”

She gentled but didn’t stop and he grazed her clit with his teeth in punishment, causing her body to jolt on the knife’s edge of pleasure and pain.

“Do you want me to come in that pretty mouth, or do you want me to fill your pussy? Tell me where you want me.”

She wasn't sure if it was his words or the husky tone of his deep voice that brought her to the edge of orgasm but she whimpered, hips rocking as she tried to reach her peak. “My mouth. I want to taste you!”

The head of his cock slid between her lips and she felt his balls tighten just as he latched onto her clit and sucked, fingers pumping furiously into her sex and she broke apart. A scream ripped through her and it set him off, his hips thrusting up to fuck her open mouth. Thick ropes of cum struck her tongue and the back of her throat and she tried to suck him down again, but she couldn’t concentrate. All she knew was the waves of pleasure that crashed through her, unrelenting, and the taste of his release. A final thrust brought the head of his cock to the back of her throat, and this time, she did choke. Saliva and cum dripped from her lips to the hot skin of his hips. Tears clogged her lashes and she pulled back enough to cough weakly. 

A soft curse brushed over her oversensitive skin on a breath and she couldn’t hold back the shiver that ran down her spine. Warm hands gently moved her until she was sitting on his lap, her body limp and still quivering with the power of her release. 

“Did I hurt you?” She felt more than heard him ask, his fingers carefully touching her aching jaw and tilting her head up so he could see her face properly. “Akina?”

She shook her head, too dazed to form words just yet, and he accepted it. She didn’t remember him moving but he must have because a moment later, he was using one of their shirts to carefully dab at her tears. Soft lips brushed over her flushed cheeks, and she leaned into him, basking in his warmth and solid frame. 

“Wow,” she rasped after he had cleaned the mess on her face. Her head tilted back and she gave him an exhausted grin, more than a little pleased to see that he looked just as wrecked as she felt. Her own release coated his lips and chin, and she leaned toward him to kiss the corner of his mouth, her tongue flicking out to clean it. A shuddering breath escaped him and his arms tightened around her.

“Wow indeed,” he murmured, and then he kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth. She knew he could taste himself on her tongue but he didn’t seem to care, and if she wasn’t so exhausted she might have wanted another round just because of that. 

It was a miracle she hadn’t completely forgotten her mission objective but she couldn’t really pinpoint when exactly their observer had left. Definitely before their final climax, but not before she had straddled his face to take him into her mouth. Her senses were still scrambled, but as she sifted through the past half hour, she realized that sometime during their act, she had felt a sudden spike in killing intent. It was an odd thing to feel in a civilian, and she was a bit ashamed that it hadn’t been enough to alert her at the time. 

“Something we did made them angry.”

Kakashi stilled, muscles tense, and she wondered if he had lost himself in the act as much as she had. “Do you remember exactly what triggered it?”

It was at least a little reassuring that he had been as distracted as she was, but it didn’t exactly make her feel better to know that they may have missed a very important piece of information while they had been wrapped up in each other. She rested her head against his shoulder, her eyes closed as she thought back. The night ran through her mind like a film reel, but this time she paid more attention to her surroundings than the act itself. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been paying enough attention to pinpoint the exact moment it started.

“Fairly early on,” she said finally. As much as she wanted to fall into him, she knew she had to get up. Cursing her wobbly legs, she braced one hand on his shoulder and forced herself to her feet. Not for the first time, she wished she could cycle her chakra through her body to revitalize her shaky limbs. Instead, she took her time, stepping carefully until she could pick up their discarded clothes. He had grabbed his own shirt to clean her face, luckily, so she was able to pull her own back over her head. Pants would be more difficult, so she didn’t bother putting them back on and instead tossed his onto his lap. “I’m going to run a bath.”

Kakashi didn’t say anything in response and she nodded, carefully making her way up the steps. She didn’t have to hear his thoughts to know he was berating himself just as much as she was. There was a good reason why shinobi were never paired with their significant other during a mission, especially during an undercover one. It was too easy to act the part and lose themselves in it, putting both themselves and the mission in danger. A distracted shinobi was a dead shinobi.

Sakura rested her shoulder against the wall at the top of the stairs, eyes closed as she hugged their clothes close to her chest. He was her partner and she was the lead for the mission and she had failed him. She had let herself get lost in his touch and distracted him from the mission and they weren’t even… She didn’t know what they were. They weren’t anything. She had messed up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited the first chapter to say that Sakura's civilian self has red hair, not blonde. Felt she was too much like Ino with it being blonde. Just as an FYI, y'all.

The moment she stepped foot in the spa the next day, she was accosted by the overwhelming scent of incense, lavender with a hint of vanilla. It would have been a pleasant scent if it hadn't been so strong, and she fought not to sneeze. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered how Kakashi would react, but she shoved the thought to the back of her mind and buried it. She couldn’t think of him yet. The damn man was a distraction she didn’t need, popping up at the worst times.

The receptionist wore simple linen robes commonly found in Suna, her expression polite but otherwise bland. She smiled at Sakura and lifted a graceful hand to indicate the chair facing her desk. “Please, have a seat. My name is Sato Kari. How may I help you?”

Sakura took her seat, eyes roving briefly over the room and taking in the tasteful decor before she gave the woman a bright smile she didn’t feel. “My fiance has insisted I get a complete workup before our wedding.” 

The woman’s smile warmed considerably upon hearing this. “Of course. Congratulations on your engagement. When is your wedding?”

_ Never. _ “Next week,” she said instead, twisting the ring on her finger. 

Kari caught the motion and smiled. “That doesn’t give you much time to prepare,” she said conversationally. Nevertheless, she reached for a book and pen, fingers flipping through the pages until she reached the right one. With the pages angled away from her, it took a moment for Sakura to translate the upside down writing into words she could understand. A date book, with most of the days filled with appointments. She hadn’t expected such a small place to do so much business, and made a mental note to check into it more later. 

Pen held ready, Kari looked at her expectantly. “We have several appointments available next week. A full session would be about four hours. Do you have a preference for the day?”

They hadn’t actually decided on a day to set their wedding quite yet, so she made an executive decision. “Is Tuesday available? We’re getting married on Wednesday and I want to be ready for him.” She winked suggestively, like there was any way to misconstrue her meaning. 

Kari didn’t react and instead tapped the date book. “Yes, we have an opening on Tuesday. We specialize in bridal packages, including a buff and polish, if you are so interested. Is there any medical situation that we should be aware of?”

The question was polite enough, but Sakura didn’t miss the implication. She fought not to laugh. Really? They were concerned she was pregnant? Interesting, but not a bad guess as to why the wedding was being rushed. Completely wrong, but an intriguing supposition. “Nope!” she said brightly, pretending to miss Kari’s real question. “I’m as healthy as a horse.”

“Excellent.” Kari carefully penned in an appointment on the allotted day. “Would you like us to focus on anything in particular?”

Sakura heaved a world weary sigh. “A buff and polish sounds lovely, actually.” She would have to be careful to use a mild henge to hide her scars in addition to her ANBU tattoo and seal. Possibly even for her hair and eyes instead of the wig and contacts, given how up close and personal an attendant would be to her person. Given her chakra control, the henge would be subtle enough and it shouldn’t draw attention from any of the shinobi living in Garasu. She would have to test it on her partner later to see. If he had difficulty sensing it, then she doubted anyone in town ever could.

“We also have a relaxation package, if you would like?”

That actually sounded rather nice. “Ooh, that sounds lovely. Weddings are just so stressful, you know?” She sighed heavily and twirled a strand of hair that had fallen over her shoulder, hating herself a little more. 

“Of course.” Kari made another notation in the date book. “And the bill shall be addressed to?”

_ The Nanadaime, _ she thought, suppressing a grin. “My future husband, of course! It was his idea after all.” She winked exaggeratedly at Kari, who gave her a bland smile in return. The warmth was gone, and now that she was no longer distracted by a certain someone, she caught it. Interesting. She knew that some parts of Suna were fairly conservative, especially those towns that were farther from the capital, but that didn’t necessarily mean much to their investigation. Except she couldn’t escape the niggling feeling that it had  _ everything _ to do with it.

“Of course.” 

“Is there anything special to do before a wedding here? Like a local tradition or something?” she asked. Kari lifted her head and looked at her with a cautious expression. “Since we’re going to be living here now, I thought it would be fun to try local stuff, you know?” Ugh, she sounded like Naruto now.

Kari tapped her pen on the date book thoughtfully. “You wish to be part of the community, you mean?”

Sakura brightened. “Yes! A little town like this must have some special traditions, right?”

“Have you heard of the Rain Festival?” Kari asked finally.

She had, of course, but shook her head. “No. What is it?”

Kari leaned back in her seat and settled in to lecture, much to Sakura’s amusement. “The desert climate is a harsh one, and we depend on the rainy season each year to give us water. The Rain Festival occurs in the early spring and the celebration is two fold. It is to celebrate making it through the dry season, and as an entreaty to the gods to bestow upon our village the life giving rains in late spring so we may survive another year.”

It tracked with what Sakura already knew about the Rain Festival, so she nodded her head in understanding. “So we missed it this year.” Her disappointment was honest, as she had attended the Rain Festival once before with Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara in Sunagakure and had enjoyed the festivities. 

Kari inclined her head in agreement. “Yes. But unlike in Sunagakure, we prepare for this festival all year long. We have a smaller oasis, and occasionally the gods do not favor us with enough rain to survive. It is imperative that we do everything we can to ensure that the gods smile upon us to give us rain.”

An interesting theory, if not incredibly old fashioned, but it certainly explained a few things. “So the whole year is spent making the gods happy.”

Kari smiled, her expression softening at last. “Exactly so.”

“All right. How do we do that?”

As a shinobi, Sakura had little interest in the gods. Whatever fate was in store for her, she figured she would find it on the battlefield somewhere. Having met a goddess - and punched her in the face - she was not exactly fond of any deity. As far as she could tell, they were assholes and didn’t care a bit for mere mortals, so she figured the less contact she had with them, the better. They didn’t deserve her devotion, but that opinion was clearly not shared here.

The woman clasped her hands over the date book primly and gave Sakura a stern look. “The rain goddess requires purity of the soul, so we must make sure that our bodies are as pure as her spirit.”

Ah. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, but pushed to confirm. She wrinkled her brow and pursed her lips in confusion. “So we need to remain pure...how?”

“We must be like the goddess and remain untainted by corruption,” she said. Her gaze was no longer gentle, and her voice took on a mildly chastising tone. “Our bodies must be free from sin. We must take nothing in excess, and the pleasures of the flesh are for those who are bound before the goddess.” She gave Sakura a pointed look that was probably meant to shame her, but missed its mark entirely.

So not only had their observer been a civilian, but they had reported back to the collective. She fought not to smirk as she thought of just what they could have told the others. Apparently a woman was considered impure if she dropped to her knees and swallowed a guy’s cock. Well boo for them.

Sakura frowned again, pretending to be confused. “So… You mean like no sex before marriage?”

“Among other things, yes.”

_ No fun at all, _ she thought. Sex didn’t make a body any more impure than anything else did, with the exception of poison, and wasn’t that fucking ironic. That said, it was a rather unrealistic expectation to have on the general populace, especially when so many were young and there was a considerable number of shinobi living in the village. “But aren’t shinobi…  _ you know? _ ”

Kari’s lips curled up in a faint snarl.  _ Interesting. _ “We must balance the impurity that comes with living with shinobi. We depend on them for protection, but we must not let their  _ misdeeds _ destroy us.”

So killing people and having premarital sex kept the rain away. Lovely. 

Sakura bit her lip and looked down at the floor, hoping her expression didn’t give away her revulsion. “I see.”

The woman’s disapproval faded, and she reached across the desk to gently touch Sakura’s wrist with the tips of her fingers. “If you worry for your place with the goddess, you may visit the shrine just south of town. Perhaps the priestess could provide you with guidance.”

Sakura gave her a tremulous smile. “That sounds like a good idea.” She stood and bowed deeply, pausing midway through her bow to ask, “Sato-san, what happens if the goddess doesn’t think the village is pure enough?”

Kari’s expression was grave, and a bit accusatory. “Then we will not have a rainy season at all and the town will die.” Her smile might have been meant to be reassuring, but Sakura saw the threat it held. “But we have never let it happen before. I have faith.”

_ Because someone kills the impure people before they can ruin your perfect little town, _ she thought, bowing again to the receptionist before taking her leave.

She wanted to race home to tell Kakashi everything, but she kept her pace slow and measured as she headed south to the shrine. 

The shrine itself was easy enough to find despite its small size. The torii leading up to the shrine had been freshly painted bright red, and long shide strips hung from the beams. For appearances sake, Sakura paused before the first torii and bowed, her hands pressed together in a prayer position. Feeling silly, she straightened and headed up the steps to the shrine itself. More shide and ofuda decorated the shrine, and she hesitated at the top of the steps. She really had no idea what the proper protocol was in this situation. Her genin parents had never seen the point in visiting shrines other than the cenotaph, and she had followed that same tradition. Honoring the fallen made sense, but honoring the gods…

Gods were assholes, in her experience. From what she had learned from the receptionist, this one wasn’t any different.

The soft sound of a broom on stone led her around the side of the shrine to a neat stone path leading to another small building. A young woman dressed in a neatly pressed miko uniform swept the stone pavers, each stroke even and precise. Sakura paused, taking in the miko’s delicate frame, and reached out with her chakra to investigate further. The priestess had very little chakra herself, and when Sakura’s brushed over it, there was no reaction at all. Not shinobi trained then.

“Ah, excuse me!” 

The priestess paused in her sweeping and turned her head. Pouty lips curved into a serene smile and she shifted so she was facing Sakura, hands gently clasping the broom in front of her. “May I help you?”

“Well, I was learning about Garasu and the Rain Festival and umm… Is there a purification ritual I can do? You know, to help?” 

“There is a simple one I can do for you, if you like.”

Sakura only had a vague idea of what a purification ritual would entail, so she was more than a little curious about the process. “Yes, please. If it isn’t too much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” The priestess leaned her broom against the side of the shrine and took out a small pouch from her hakui. “If you would follow me?” She waited long enough to see that Sakura would follow and then lead the way back to the front of the shrine, stopping before a small basin of water.

Sakura paused, looking to the priestess for approval, before she knelt before the basin and dipped her hands inside. The water was blessedly cool on her skin, and she pulled away to splash it over her face and neck. She didn’t feel purified, but it was certainly refreshing. The priestess stepped around the basin and indicated Sakura should bow her head again. Sakura did as she was bid, more curious than anything else, and watched out of the corner of her eye as the priestess opened the pouch then gathered a small amount of something in her fingers. Her hand disappeared and Sakura felt something fall on her head and shoulders. Several pieces bounced off to land on the ground, and she frowned down at them until she identified it as salt. That done, the priestess pulled a haraigushi from her hibakama and gently shook it over Sakura’s head and shoulders. The paper brushed over her hair and she found herself relaxing, eyes slipping closed. Like the water, she didn’t feel any more pure than she had before, but it did feel rather nice.

The priestess clapped her hands and Sakura looked up in time to see her tuck the pouch of salt back into her hakui. “How do you feel?”

“Relaxed,” Sakura said honestly, and she sat back on her heels and gave the priestess a smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” The priestess’s answering smile was faint, but gentle. 

Sakura absently wondered if all miko radiated peace the way this particular one did. “Can I visit again?”

“Of course.” The priestess took a step back and bowed deeply. “I hope to see you soon.”

Sakura bowed and left the shrine, her eyes wandering over the buildings as she passed them, cataloging in as many details as she could. The receptionist had given her a lot to think about. It was clear that someone was spreading information, but she hadn’t detected any true menace from anyone. At most, she had seen mild disapproval, and she doubted that could translate into murder. From her limited interactions with the townspeople, she hadn’t found anyone who stood out in a way that screamed  _ killer _ . Then again, she supposed that most people wouldn’t make that assumption about her, either. Until she her fist was inside their ribcage. It was to her advantage that she was underestimated, and so she could not allow their enemy here to do the same. 

Her confidence dissolved completely when she stepped inside and found Kakashi sitting on the couch, forearms resting on his thighs. Dark eyes looked up at her through his messy hair, and there was no hiding the fury that burned brightly in their depths. Her lips parted to voice a protest, but his quiet words cut her off before she could. “There was another one.” He paused, and his hands curled into fists. “She was pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me. D:
> 
> Thanks again to my lovely betas! Also, a huge thank you to everyone who commented! I don't always reply, but I do read them all and they make me smile. Thank you so much!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's disguise hair color has changed from blonde to red, so if you're confused as to what happened, there ya go. I decided her disguise looked too much like Ino (not that Ino isn't gorgeous, 'cause she is).

It took every ounce of self control she had to keep her chakra from flowing to her fists until she had punched the town into oblivion. She closed her eyes and forced her rage into a tight ball in her chest, white hot and ready to explode, compressing it until she could put it in a box. It wouldn’t be forgotten, but instead saved for later when she knew exactly who to kill.

She didn’t know how long her breathing exercise lasted, but when she finally opened her eyes, Kakashi had moved so his head hung down, hands clasped behind his head. The only outward sign of his anger was his white knuckles, and she wouldn’t have spotted it if she didn’t know him as well as she did.

“Do you have the autopsy report? And a sample of the poison?” Sakura was proud of how calm her voice sounded when she felt anything but. 

Kakashi didn’t say a word, only pointed to the cheerful yellow packet that sat on the coffee table. Their Suna contact had disguised the information to look like wedding brochures, but she made sure to angle herself away from the windows anyway. Someone could be watching. She could only control her expression so much, and she didn’t have the energy to waste.

She scanned the autopsy report, noting that the woman had only been ten weeks pregnant, and that there was a chance she had been unaware of it at the time. It didn’t make her feel any better, but it was possible the killer hadn’t known either. That said, she still didn’t know if the woman’s pregnancy could have saved her.   
  
“She was ten weeks,” she told him, not looking up from the report. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi lift his head to look at her. His expression was impassive, but he was clearly listening. “She might not have known she was pregnant.” 

Kakashi closed his eyes and flexed his fingers, but remained quiet. It really wasn’t much of a consolation, and they both knew that it was very likely she had known. Whether anyone else had was another question.

Sakura returned her attention to the report and noted the cause of death as heart arrhythmia. Not a common way to die when the subject had been perfectly healthy before, and there were many poisons that could cause it.

A small vial filled with a clear liquid sat at the bottom of the packet, and she fished it out, setting the packet on the table behind her. Trusting Kakashi to warn her if anyone came near, she uncorked the vial and sent a thread of chakra inside. The liquid shifted as she worked, and she only needed to look it over for a few moments before she pulled her chakra back and corked the vial again.

“Cerberin,” she said, placing the vial back into the packet and sealing it closed. Kakashi blinked at her but didn’t say a word, waiting patiently for her to continue. She sighed and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. “A toxin from the seeds of the suicide tree. If enough is ingested, it causes a disruption in the calcium ion channels of the heart muscle and leads to arrhythmia. Not exactly an uncommon poison, but one that’s often overlooked.”

“And the antidote?”

“Doesn’t always work. It would need to be treated immediately, and it can kill within a few hours of being ingested.” She tapped the packet with her fingertips. “The stomach contents were assorted fruits, an herbal tea infusion, and a light cactus vegetable dish. The easiest way to disguise the seed is with spices, so I’d bet on the tea.”

Sakura pushed off the wall and rummaged around the living room for a piece of paper and pen. She carefully wrote out the formula to the antidote and instructions to go with it, but she didn’t hold out much hope for it doing much good. Only someone capable of removing the toxin from the body with chakra could have a hope at keeping the patient alive, and she had her doubts about the medics in town. 

Even if the killer hadn’t known about the woman’s pregnancy, it was an escalation. Once the information got out, and she knew it would in a small town like this one, there would be a reaction. Outrage from some, vindication from others. Her gut told her that the killer would be in the latter camp, and that made them infinitely more dangerous. This had to stop soon, and she knew the fastest way to do so was to make herself a target. The trouble was that she didn’t know who had given the victim the tea, and they couldn’t study the stomach contents of the other victims because they had all been cremated. Their best chance would be to figure out where the tea had come from. It would be even better if she could get a sample to prove it had been the weapon. If the killer was smart, they would make only one batch at a time so it couldn’t be traced as easily, but there was a chance that they weren’t. She hoped they weren’t.

She had no concrete evidence supporting her theory, but she had her suspicions about the motive. Given the way the townspeople had reacted to their public displays of affection and the rapid change in opinion after their meeting with Hiroki, she could see a pattern. She just had to make sure.

Instructions complete with a request for the autopsy reports of the other victims, she carefully folded the paper and sealed it in an envelope. “This is the antidote. It might not do any good, but it’s something.” 

Kakashi took it from her and tucked it into his pocket. “Akina.” 

“Mm?” Sakura debated whether she should send further instructions elsewhere, tapping the pen on the pad of paper in front of her. An idea was forming, but she needed more information first. 

“Akina,” he said again, and gave her hair a gentle tug to get her attention. She finally looked up to see him looking at her with concern. “Are you immune?”

Sakura blinked up at him, backtracking through her plans until she realized that he knew her intentions. Her expression softened, and she lifted her hand to hold his against her cheek, dropping a gentle kiss on his palm. “Of course.” She smiled as his shoulders relaxed, the worried lines on his brow smoothing out. She was tempted to tease him, asking if he doubted her abilities, but it felt wrong. His rage at the woman’s death was real and still fresh, and calling him out for worrying about her touched on a conversation she still wasn’t ready to have. Knowing Kakashi as well as she did, and his aversion to emotions in general, it would be one he would rather avoid, too.

“The fiance is Saito Fumihiro. I’ll find him.” He didn’t elaborate further, but she trusted him to get the information she needed. “The man in the photo is Yoshino Daisuke. A chunin with no love for civilians and disdains the town’s practices, but finds them amusing. He hinted that we were causing a stir but wouldn’t elaborate.” Not that he needed to, given the information Sakura had received from the spa’s receptionist.

She indicated with a wave of her hand for him to sit across from her at the table, and once he did she began telling him what she had learned. He didn’t interrupt, listening attentively as she talked, but she could see that his eyes weren’t focused on her but on his thoughts and her words, putting the pieces together as she had.

Frustrated, she scrubbed a hand over her face. She needed the autopsy reports of the other victims to confirm her suspicions of the tea being the weapon. It was annoying that it hadn’t been given to her at the onset of the mission. She should have requested it immediately, she couldn’t wait for another innocent person to die. The woman’s death was on her head now, and she had to do better. 

“From what you’ve learned, it could be the whole town is in on it.” Kakashi didn’t sound any happier than she did about their findings, his frustration causing a wrinkle to form between his brows and at the corners of his mouth.

“My gut says that isn’t the case, but I just don’t have enough information yet to know one way or the other. Hopefully Saito-san can provide the source of his fiancee’s last meal, or even just a rundown of her last day. Can you work it into conversation somehow?”

She winced, knowing how hard it was to question a bereaved person. It would be even worse without the authority to back up the questions. If the man was anywhere near as closed-lipped as Kakashi himself, they wouldn’t get any information at all.

“I’ll figure it out.” 

Sakura rested her chin in her hand and stared off into the kitchen, eyes unfocused. The last few hours of the woman’s life had probably been hell. The nausea and vomiting could have made her fear for her baby - if she had known of its existence at all - and the arrhythmic heart alone would have been terrifying. It was a painful and potentially messy way to die. Even if she wasn’t immune, Sakura herself would not be killed by the toxin because she had trained her body to eradicate toxins as soon as they entered her system, but the women who had died in Garasu over the past year had no such skills. Even with medical intervention, there was a very real chance that they would have died anyway.

“We’ll need to warn Gaara that even if there is just one killer here, someone else might take up the mantle.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose, expelling it in a long breath out the mouth in an effort to calm the rage that simmered in her gut. “This town is more conservative than most, and the division between the shinobi and civilians is going to do more harm than good if something doesn’t change.”

“Hmm. The receptionist said that the town has never gone without water, but I don’t believe that.” Kakashi met her gaze and took her expression for agreement, because he went on, “An extreme attitude like this doesn’t come out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see if I can scrounge up some information at the library tomorrow morning. I already told Sato-san that I was interested in the village’s traditions, so looking at historical records wouldn’t be too unusual.” She paused, eyes widening. “Ah! I need to test something. Stay there, I’ll be right back.”

Sakura ignored his questioning look as she dashed up the stairs and into the bathroom. Door shut just in case someone was watching the bedroom window, she flicked on the light, then pulled a bottle of contact lens cleaner from the bag they had stashed under the sink as well as a tiny case for the lenses themselves. A few blinks and eye drops later, and her own green irises looked back at her in the mirror. Her hair took longer as she released the chakra holding her wig in place and began finger combing through her long pink hair. She would have to shower later, but it would do for now. Without the added weight of the wig, her head felt remarkably lighter, and she quirked a tiny smile at herself in the mirror before she closed her eyes and did the seals for a henge. A thin layer of chakra rippled over her body like water and she waited for it to settle before she opened her eyes again.

Her hair was red again instead of pink, the long locks healthy and shiny instead of greasy. Blue eyes not unlike Naruto’s looked back through the mirror, and she tilted her head this way and that to make sure that her seal remained hidden. Satisfied, she stuffed the wig and contacts into the bag and returned it to its place under the sink. The door opened with a soft click and she made her way back down the stairs.

Kakashi looked at her curiously, but didn’t comment as she took her seat at the table again. “Do I look different?”

Bemused, his eyes roved over her form, taking in every detail. She suspected that he was only looking for differences because she had bothered to ask, and it pleased her that he hadn’t seen anything amiss right off the bat. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully and he reached across the table to tug on an errant lock of hair that hung over her shoulder. A deep breath through the nose, and she tried not to smile when she realized that he was smelling her. 

“What did you do?” he asked finally, giving his head a little shake.

“If I’m going for a spa treatment, there will be a head massage. Can’t have one of those without exposing the wig.” 

“Ah.” He cocked his head to the side, considering. “A henge then?”

“Just a little one. Knowing that, can you sense it?”

Kakashi didn’t have quite the chakra control she did, but his touch was light as he sent a tiny amount from the tips of his fingers to the palm of her hand. Like Kakashi himself, his chakra always reminded her of lightning in a bottle. The danger of a shock loomed, but it was clean and bright as it washed over her. It sent pleasant tingles over her skin, teasing her synapses with a promise of pleasure-pain. After a moment he pulled back, his chakra retreating back into his body, and she suppressed a shiver of longing at the loss. 

“Barely, even when I’m touching you.” There was admiration in his voice and she allowed herself to preen a little at the praise. “It’s very subtle. Can you hold it for a long time?”

“Mmhmm. I can always refresh it in the mornings if I need to after a shower.” She sat back in the chair, shoulders finally relaxing. “Well if you can’t tell, then I should be good to go. At this point, only the Sharingan can see through my henge, and Sasuke’s on our side.” Well, he was more accurately on _Naruto’s_ side, but she wasn’t about to split hairs.

“I’ll get the instructions to our contact, and request the autopsy reports.” Kakashi tapped his fingers on the tabletop for a moment before continuing, “I feel like having a drink.”

Sakura blinked at him, and narrowed her eyes when he ignored the kitchen and slipped on his shoes to go out. It took a moment for her to catch up, but once she had, she gave him a friendly smile and went to him, touching his jaw so she could kiss his cheek. “Say hello to Hiroki-san for me, would you?”

“Of course.” Kakashi dropped a kiss on her hidden seal, and left soon after.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Things were in motion - not quickly enough for her taste, of course - and she had a job to do. Even though she was almost one hundred percent positive of the reason these women had been killed, she still needed proof. A hunch wasn’t good enough. With proof, then she could make herself into the perfect victim.

  
  


The investigation was important, but they also had to eat, so she took the time to go shopping. Basket in hand, she walked through the stalls of fresh fruit and vegetables, grabbing what looked interesting or what she knew she could cook. Most of her attention was on her task, but she listened to the other women around her chat, especially when the subject of the deaths came up.

“Another dead. Isn’t someone going to do something?” The speaker was a middle aged woman with her hair pulled in a loose braid that fell to the middle of her back. 

Her companion was several years younger, her hair worn in a severe bun at the nape of her neck. She pretended disinterest as she inspected two mangos. “Who could? The shinobi don’t care since it’s only us civilians dying. And you heard the rumor about the girl.” She gave the older woman a significant look as she tucked one of the mangos in her basket. “She was a bit of a loose woman.”

The older woman wrinkled her nose. “Ah, I hadn’t heard that.” She looked almost relieved, and Sakura wanted to stuff a leek down her throat for it. “That does seem to be the pattern.”

“Good riddance, if you ask me,” the younger woman groused. She inspected several daikon before she selected two and added them to her basket. “Women like that have no place in Garasu.”

Sakura made her way between the two women, excusing herself as she did, and went to choose from the cactus fruits behind them. Now with their attention on her, she listened as their voices lowered to hushed tones that were still plenty loud enough for her to hear. She hated gossips, but they were so useful for information gathering.

“I heard that she’s a wild one,” the older woman whispered to her companion. “Hiroki-san met her and her fiance in Sunagakure just six months ago during their first date, and he said that they left together after a long night of drinking.”

Sakura bit back a snort of laughter. It was true, and that night had culminated in a fuck fest that she remembered fondly, despite the complications that arose once she realized just who it was she had bedded. These women were talking like it was the most scandalous news they could share, and she had half a mind to tell them about learning the oiroke no jutsu and pretending to drag her three teammates into an orgy. Their heads might explode.

“Surely they didn’t consummate their relationship after the first date!”

_Seriously? That's their complaint?_

“Well, Hiroki-san didn’t say anything about that, but he did say they were all over each other. And you heard about what _she_ said she saw, didn’t you?”

_She?_ Sakura’s ears perked up and she listened more intensely, putting in little effort in choosing a selection of cactus fruits and a few handfuls of goji berries.

“Oh, when she passed by their house and saw them…” Her voice dropped lower, but Sakura didn’t really have to strain to still hear it. “She was on her knees, _servicing him_.”

_You say that like it’s a bad thing._ Sakura bit her cheek to keep the smirk off her face. Sure, she’d taken his cock in her mouth, but he’d serviced her just as well, but apparently that part wasn’t so scandalous. It did answer the question of whether their watcher was just a peeping tom or someone looking for dirt. Perhaps even the killer herself, although somehow she doubted it. There had been killing intent, but it wasn’t to the level she would expect from a serial murderer.

Sakura spotted a crate of eggplants and paused. Kakashi liked miso soup with eggplant, and she already had the rest of the ingredients. It wasn’t her favorite dish, but she knew it would make him happy. She liked it well enough. The moment she touched the eggplant, however, the flurry of whispers started again.

“She even chooses such phallic vegetables!” the younger woman hissed, and Sakura had to bite hard on her tongue to keep from laughing. She almost picked up the eggplant and pretended to fellate it, just to see their heads explode. Then again, the eggplant she had chosen was a bit too wide for her to fit comfortably in her mouth.

_Only a bit smaller than his cock, really._

She dropped two eggplants into her basket, and cheerfully made her way to the cash register. The cashier was a grumpy older man, and she was extra polite as she showed him the contents of her basket. He spoke in monosyllables and grunts, and she could appreciate that in contrast to the still-gossiping bitches behind her. He handed her her change and she bowed, thanking him, before she made her way toward the street. Just before she left the shade of the market, she turned her head back to look at the two women who were glaring at her beside the leeks. 

_Fuck it._ She lifted a fist and made a vulgar motion with it and her tongue, her lips curving into a cheeky grin when the women gasped in righteous outrage. Oh yeah. Totally worth it. _Go tell your mysterious She just how dirty I am, and come at me._

Sakura had been ready to go back home and start dinner, but she had one more stop to make. Even in a town as conservative as Garasu, there was a secret shop that sold items often touted as “marital aids,” and she was eager to take a very public shopping trip there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sakura briefly mentions adventures with the oiroke no jutsu here, and you can read how that all went down with my fic Bringing Sexy Back. No real pairings mentioned in there, and it takes place around 7 years before this story does. I'll be writing more in this universe though, and they'll all be part of the series Here's To Us.
> 
> Cheers! And please comment, they make my day. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm adding a bunch of new tags to this fic now, so give them a glance to make sure you're still cool with the contents of the story.
> 
> HUGE thanks to MSH for her editing prowess. A shout out to Fanonymous for the suggestion. You know what I mean. :)

“Akina… What’s in the bag?”

Kakashi’s trepidation made sense given the size of the black bag sitting cheerfully in the center of their bed. The town gossip chain probably spread like wildfire to share her latest escapades, and if he had spent time at the tavern he’d probably heard about it, too. The bag had been delivered that morning after her shopping spree to the adult shop the night before, and she had made sure it was seen by no fewer than five people before she brought it inside. 

Sakura looked up and gave him a brilliant smile. “It’s a present.” She turned back to the miso soup she was cooking and asked, “Just how adventurous are you?”

He was quiet for a long moment, and she could feel his eyes studying her carefully before he finally spoke, his voice cautious and measured, “I’ll try anything once.”

That wasn’t exactly a surprise, but she looked at him from the corner of her eye and watched as he realized where she was going with the question. Thankfully, he didn’t look worried, more curious than anything else, as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants and his broad shoulders finally relaxed.

“How do you feel about pegging?”

She kept her expression neutral, but paid attention to the way his eyes widened, and he seemed to be considering the question. His posture remained relaxed, but she could practically see his thoughts racing. She served two bowls of soup and a side of rice with steamed vegetables, then brought them both to the table. He followed quietly after her and took a seat at the table. A laugh escaped when she set a bowl of soup in front of him.

“You made my favorites. Is this a bribe?” The tiny smile he gifted her with made her grin outright as she sat across from him.

“Is it working?”

Amusement deepened the smile lines around his eyes as he dipped his spoon in the soup. “Might be.”

The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence, and she was proud that Kakashi appeared to be genuinely enjoying her food. Granted, it  _ was _ one of his favorite dishes, but it still made her happy. 

Bowls finally empty, Kakashi set down his chopsticks and propped his chin on his hand. “So the bag is you giving the finger to the town, huh.”

It wasn’t a question and she didn’t take it as one, but she answered him anyway. “Fuck, yeah it is. These people are ridiculous.” She paused before asking, “So you don’t mind sacrificing yourself for the mission?”

Kakashi’s lips quirked up in that too sexy crooked grin of his that seriously was bad for her health. “You mean will I feel emasculated by you fucking my ass while we have an audience?”

Well, when he put it like that… A light flush colored her cheeks. “Yeah, that.”

“Akina, I can’t be emasculated if I’m not ashamed.” His voice was a bit too gentle for the subject matter, but damn if her heart didn’t melt while her panties spontaneously combusted.

“Sukea…” She reached across the table to caress his jaw. “That has to be the sexiest thing you’ve ever said.”

His grin turned mischievous and a bit too smug. “Is it now?”

She sighed and pulled away. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Isn’t that rather the point, though?”

She had never wanted to roll her eyes more than at that moment. Instead, she ignored his comment entirely. “Do you have the autopsy reports?”

He was still smirking, but he made no further comment and instead nodded his head once. She could swear she heard his voice in her head anyway, saying  _ Who do you think you’re talking to? _ Either she was becoming a mind reader, or she knew him too damn well. 

Another cheerful yellow packet was dropped on the table in front of her before Kakashi stood and gathered their dishes. She immediately dove in, only vaguely listening to the clatter of dishes and the rush of water at the sink. The reports were organized by date, and she pulled the oldest one first and skimmed the findings. Each report stated the cause of death was arrhythmia of the heart, and she fanned them out to check the stomach contents. Oddly enough, almost all of them had the exact same meal. Assorted fruits, an herbal tea infusion, and a light cactus vegetable dish. Two of the women hadn’t had tea and all and she frowned, scanning the contents again. The fruits were the same, but she didn't think the poison could have been added to those without throwing an overwhelming spice on top. That left the cactus, and she sat back, her eyes closed. Truthfully, she wasn’t all that fond of the spice that came from Suna food, but she had seen others eat plenty of them, and cactus was a common enough food item. 

_ Son of a bitch. _ Sakura opened her eyes and scowled. They had poisoned the  _ salad, _ and she was an idiot.

“You look like you want to kill me.”

He didn’t sound particularly bothered by this, and she wondered if she should be insulted by it. She supposed she had been looking off into the distance, and he just happened to be in her line of sight. “Not you. Me.” She ran a hand through her hair and gave the ends a hard tug. 

Kakashi didn’t say anything, simply went about his business, but she knew that he was still listening, and she appreciated it.

“It’s not the tea.” She scanned the reports one more time, and then slipped them back into the envelope. It would join the first in a sealed scroll in their bedroom later that night, but she had the information she needed now. “It’s the fucking salad, and I’m an idiot.”

Kakashi paused in drying dishes and gave her a stern look that briefly reminded her of her genin days. “You are far from stupid.”

“Usually, I would agree. But I should have known it wouldn’t be in the tea. It’s simple chemistry. Shishou would kill me for that mistake.”

He didn’t try arguing that, since he knew Tsunade fairly well himself. “I won’t tell.”

She rolled her eyes, but was mildly touched by his words anyway. He wasn’t a gossip by any means, but it was still rather sweet. “Thank you.”

A prickling on the back of her neck alerted her to a presence outside and she reached out with her chakra, gently probing until she found them. It was hard to tell without looking out to see their face both now and the last time, but she suspected this was the mysterious _ She _ the two gossiping hags had mentioned the night before. Given the later time of day, she wasn’t entirely surprised that their observer had returned to check on them. Especially after her interactions with the gossips and her subsequent shopping trip.

Sakura cleared her throat to get Kakashi’s attention, and once he was looking at her, made a short signal under the table that would go unseen from the window. He inclined his head to indicate he understood, and then went back to finishing the dishes. 

_ Show time. _ Sakura stood and picked up the packet, pausing at the table for the moment to project her voice toward Kakashi and their observer. “Meet me upstairs when you’re done? We can unwrap your present.” She emphasized it with a saucy wink, and she almost stumbled when he gave her a smile that promised heat and sin.

_ Damn him. _ That smile should be illegal. No wonder he wore a mask.

Somehow she made it up the stairs, and without him in the immediate vicinity, she managed to find her balance. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted, so she took a deep breath to put her whirling emotions into a box, tucking it away to unpack when it was safe. Maybe.

She put the yellow envelope on the bedside table, unable to hide it properly with eyes on her, and began to strip. Her movements were methodical as she slipped into her ANBU headspace, unwilling to lose herself in sensation the way she had before. It had been a critical error to make, and even if their observer wasn’t a shinobi, it was still a mistake. One she had no intention in repeating. She pulled the tie from her hair and let the tresses fall in a wave over her back. Her tunic and pants were dropped into the hamper, leaving her in a pair of black panties, since she often went without a bra due to the heat. Probably another thing the villagers had found scandalous.

_ Idiots. _

Soft footsteps coming up the stairwell alerted her to Kakashi’s approach, and she appreciated the fact that he had taken the care to make sure she could hear him in addition to sensing him with her chakra. She had a hunch that he was aware of her turbulent thoughts, or at least of the fact that she was off-balance, if not why. He didn’t seem to have any intention in asking about it, for which she was grateful. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest option, but she couldn’t think about it during a mission. Or ever. Not when even a hint threatened to suffocate her.

The door creaked open and as she peeked at him through a curtain of red hair, her lips curved in a tiny smile. She cataloged his expression the way she would a patient, taking in his dark gaze that traveled over her from head to toe, the miniscule tightening of his lips and the tick in his jaw. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and she forced down the feminine pride that attempted to surge through her at the heat in his eyes that he couldn’t completely mask.

Sakura swept her hair over her shoulders and abandoned the bag to stalk toward him. To his credit, he stood completely still as he waited for her to approach, his eyes never leaving her face. She had to appreciate the fact that he hadn’t immediately stared at her bare breasts, her nipples pebbled and straining for him. Even if she refused to let herself, it felt like her breasts remembered his touch, the traitorous things.

Slender fingers slid up the hard planes of his chest to curl in the soft hairs at his nape. She stepped into him, her breasts pressed to his chest, lips a hairsbreadth from his chin. “Hi.”

His lips twitched into a tiny smile, and she refused to acknowledge the little flutter in her belly in response. Large, warm hands slid over her hips, pulling her more securely against him. He dipped his head, his nose nuzzling hers and making her smile. The soft waves of his wig brushed over her brow. She closed her eyes, lifting her head when he prompted with another nuzzle until their lips met and she sank into him.

The kiss itself wasn’t really anything special, just a light brush of his lips on hers. Gentle and teasing, his hands gripped her hips, thumbs brushing over her bare skin, but he made no move to deepen the kiss, or tug her closer. The tenderness melted her. Her fingers flexed, tightening their grip on his hair, and her lips parted as she breathed him in. The sharp bite of ozone and the woodsy smoke of a campfire, two scents that she had associated with him for years that served to relax her, even as they made her burn. She was so close to the edge of sanity, just a step from a freefall, and if she didn’t regain control, she would be lost to him. Possibly for good. She didn’t know, and she couldn’t find out. Not now.

She lightly pushed his shoulders and took a step back, even when her body yearned for him in a way that threatened to set fire to her soul. His gaze was shuttered, giving nothing away, and she forced herself not to think about it as she backed toward the bed and crooked her finger for him to follow. There was a pause before he complied, and a hint of strain as he tugged off his shirt and tossed it into the hamper. She wanted nothing more than to drink him in, but she kept her eyes on his.

She had only a vague idea of what they looked like to their observer, but it didn’t hold a candle to the emotion that rolled between them. Suppressed and unacknowledged, and she knew that if she kissed him again, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

Perhaps sensing this, he stopped just before he reached her, watching her silently as she turned toward the bag and began to set the contents on the bedspread. She could feel Kakashi’s eyes on her, and the rise in his curiosity, the first emotion she was able to successfully identify from him since he had entered the room. A small bottle of lube was carefully set on the blankets, followed by a slender pink dildo, and finally a leather harness. They hadn’t discussed how this would go down, but after that kiss, she knew she couldn’t do it. Not because she didn’t want to,  _ oh how she wanted to _ , but because it would be too much for her to handle. It was too intimate, which was a strange thing when they had already had sex multiple times. Just a few nights prior they had made a mess of each other, but now it would be too much.

A soft breath out and she began to turn toward him again, angling her body away from the window to hide her hands as she made the seals to start a genjutsu. Her chakra flared and spread outward in a wave, catching the light breeze and melting into the shift of the bedroom curtains. Now, whoever walked past the house would hear the occasional thud of the headboard and low moans interspersed with passionate cries. Their observer was getting the full treatment, watching as she strapped the harness to her hips and got ready to fuck Kakashi with it. Even creating the scene was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

Another breath and she opened her eyes, avoiding his gaze as she grabbed her shirt from the hamper and pulled it on over her head. When she finally did look at him, Kakashi blinked slowly. Sakura winced internally, realizing she might have caught him in her genjutsu. Luckily, he had caught it and pulled himself out. His eyes focused again as he shook his head infinitesimally to clear it. He gave her a questioning look and she ignored it, moving to the window and kneeling in front of it instead. With the genjutsu in place, she was free to catch a glimpse of their mysterious observer at last.

It only took a moment to finally spot them, but once she had, she didn’t feel much better. Their face was shadowed by a deep hood, only showing the lower half. A full, feminine mouth and soft jaw, but little else. She was dressed in traditional Suna clothes, the colors bland and nondescript. Even still, Sakura carefully took note of what she could see, committing it to memory.

Kakashi came to kneel beside her, and she watched as he catalogued the woman just as she had. Like her, he gave no indication that he recognized her, and she sighed inwardly in defeat. She had hoped that he might have seen her before, but apparently not.  _ Damn. _

The woman’s mouth pinched and Sakura wove the genjutsu over her eyes like a veil, watching shadows but not getting the full effect. Kakashi felt her chakra and flicked his gaze to her, eyes questioning.

“She doesn’t seem to like seeing you on your knees in front of me.” Sakura’s words were distant, almost clinical, as she narrated the events unfolding in the illusion. “Or the way I hold your head so I can fuck your mouth.”

Kakashi hummed, but didn’t say anything, angling his body so he could lean against the wall and still look out the window or at her. His body radiated heat, but the tension that thrummed between them had all but dissipated. She shifted her shoulders, willing herself to relax against the wall.

Sakura fell quiet, dividing her attention between the genjutsu and the woman’s expressions, almost ignoring Kakashi entirely. They continued to watch, both noting the increasing tension in the woman’s shoulders. The double vision was mildly disorienting, and Sakura had to compartmentalize to keep herself from reacting to what she saw. She hadn’t realized that watching herself bend Kakashi over the bed and tease his ass would be so incredibly erotic, but it was. The woman had the exact opposite reaction, her lips curling upward in disgust.

“And now?” His voice was quiet, just disturbing her enough to grab her attention.

She fought not to lick her suddenly dry lips. “Ah, you’re on your hands and knees on the bed and I’m eating your ass.”

She was vaguely aware of his eyes widening at her words, but she fought not to pay too much attention to him because if she did, she would only be able to see him. The genjutsu never wavered, even as she fought to keep her own body from reacting. It was a losing battle, especially when the illusion showed her slapping his perfect ass, the bottle of lube in her other hand as she let it run over his quivering hole.

Kakashi’s nostrils flared and he shifted slightly beside her, eyes darkening. His attention shifted from the woman outside to her.  _ Fuck, _ she had forgotten about his nose. He could smell her arousal. Her gaze flicked to his face, and briefly to his lap, which was infuriatingly unaffected by her narration... Then she realized it. He was  _ using his fucking chakra _ .

That was almost enough to make her lose her concentration as she hissed, “Are you seriously using your chakra right now to keep yourself from getting hard?”

His lips twitched but he had the grace to not smile in the face of her quiet fury. “Yes?”

“Fuck.” She closed her eyes and cycled her chakra to do the same, cooling the area between her legs and decreasing the blood flow to normal levels. She was still wet, but her body would no longer react to what she was seeing, and  _ why the fuck hadn’t she thought of that before? _

There was no hiding his amusement this time. “Better?”

Her eyes opened and she glared at him. “Yes, asshole.” She paused, her eyes widening as several things clicked into place. “Wait, have you always done that? While you’ve read  _ Icha Icha _ ?”

Kakashi stopped looking at her, but she still saw the upward tick of his mouth. “Aa, you caught me.”

Grudging admiration surged through her and she swore again under her breath. “That’s  _ genius _ .”

He snickered and she wanted to smack him but that would be unprofessional. No, never mind. He deserved it, the bastard. She punched his shoulder, and his laughter spilled out, completely unrepentant.

“We used to say you must be impotent or something since you never got a hard-on from reading that, but you’ve just been using your chakra. You  _ asshole. _ ”

“No respect,” he muttered, but he was clearly far more amused than offended.

“All this time, you really do get turned on by that stuff? Just a mental boner and not a physical one?” she hissed.

“Charming way of putting it. You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“ _ No! _ ”

He sighed. “Yes. It  _ is _ erotica, you know. Jiraiya-sama wrote it to turn people on.” He gave her a pointed look that she ignored. “It would be pretty bad to walk around Konoha or train with you all as genin with an erection, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh sure, it would be the erection that made it scandalous, not the fact that you  _ were reading porn in public for years _ .”

Kakashi hummed, gazing once again out the window. “It’s an excellent exercise in chakra control.”

“You… Fuck, you’re right. Damn you.” Her fury was almost enough to disrupt her attention on the genjutsu. Almost. 

“You’re welcome,” he said with a smirk until she punched him again. “ _ Ow _ .”

“Just so you know, she’s glaring at us because I’m fucking you into the mattress and calling you my bitch.” That last part wasn’t actually true, but whatever. “And you’re begging for more.” That part was.

She felt more than saw his chakra cycling through his system, and she bit back a smile. So this really was getting to him.  _ Good. _ Another thought followed, and her eyes widened in realization.  _ That means he  _ likes _ it. _

Before this mission, she had never thought of Kakashi sexually. Not really, at any rate. But if she had, she never would have guessed that he would allow himself to be vulnerable like he was in the genjutsu. Kakashi was many things, but submissive was not one of them. Seeing how he was reacting to her narration, she wondered if maybe he  _ could _ be, given the right situation.

It was certainly a vulnerable position to be in, and for a man who was one of the most powerful shinobi in the Five Nations, not one he would allow to anyone he didn’t trust implicitly to see. Could he trust  _ her _ in this way?

After the Fourth Shinobi War, she had become closer to all of Team 7 and the newer Team Kakashi, too. Even so, Kakashi was as elusive as ever, but she was the one he came to when he was injured - she knew it mostly had to do with his general distaste of hospitals, but still. He would occasionally bring her lunch when she was having a particularly bad day at the hospital. How he knew, she still hadn’t figured out, but it was always appreciated. When they fought together as a team or while sparring, they knew one another’s style so well that they didn’t need to say anything aloud. She was the one he trusted to water Mr Ukki when he went on long missions, and she had even gone with him several times as an aide while he went on diplomatic missions as Hokage. He was her friend, and she knew that he trusted his friends. But did he trust her enough for something like this? 

Even more importantly, was that what  _ she _ wanted, too?

The sudden killing intent brought her out of her thoughts, and she blinked, refocusing on the vicious snarl that warped the woman’s face. She didn’t wait for him to prompt her this time. “You came and took the harness off me to fuck my ass with the dildo. You were eating me out but now you’re fucking my pussy with the dildo still in my ass, and I’m screaming your name.”

Kakashi swallowed thickly and fidgeted beside her. "That's..." He didn't finish his thought and she couldn't blame him, really. It was an intense genjutsu, and her chakra was working overtime to keep her body from reacting to it. From the way his own chakra was moving, he was having just as difficult a time. That, at least, was a little gratifying. She wasn't alone.

That was enough for their spy, apparently. The woman’s lips curled in disgust, and she spun away to head back into the village. Sakura waited until she was far enough away before she dissolved the genjutsu. It took a moment for her double vision to clear, and when it did, she closed her eyes. “Follow her, and see where she goes. Do  _ not _ get caught.”

There was a pause before she felt a slight shift in the air, and when she opened her eyes again, Kakashi was gone. She released the breath she had been holding and carefully stretched out her legs, working the kinks from her joints before she climbed to her feet. While he chased their lead, she had some cleaning up to do.

They hadn’t used the items she had bought, but she took them into the bathroom with her anyway. She cracked the plastic on the top of the bottle of lube and poured a small amount into the sink, rinsing it down with a dollop of soap. That done, she set it in the bag and carefully cleaned the dildo. It wasn’t as if she could return it, so she figured she might as well wash it the way she would for any other purchase. It was unhygienic to use a dildo without washing it first, anyway. She had chosen one of average size, not because it was something she would normally purchase - she liked them long and thick, thank you very much - but because she hadn’t known what Kakashi preferred and hadn't wanted to hurt him. Not that it mattered since they hadn’t actually gone through with her original plan.

Now clean, she set the dildo on the edge of the sink to air dry and returned to the bedroom. She tore the tags off of the harness and folded it neatly, setting it back into the bag with the bottle of lube, and then put it under the bed. She would add the dildo after it had dried. After the mission, she could always keep the items and just add them to her box at home.

A tiny smile formed on her lips as she realized that she could put the purchase on their expense report. She wondered how Naruto would react when he read it. Knowing him, he'd demand all of the details she had left out of the mission report. He really was worse than Ino in that regard.

It took a half hour for Kakashi to return, and when he did, there was an air of triumph about him that caught her attention.

"Her name is Himura Yuki." His mouth curved up in a savage grin. "She works at the spa as an aesthetician."

Sakura's answering grin was positively feral. "Perfect."

* * *

The rest of the week was spent making sure that she appeared as scandalous as possible to the general populace of Garasu. Kakashi helped it along by pretending to limp the day after their genjutsu, and he seemed amused by the disgusted looks he received from men and women alike. Sakura, for her part, made sure she bought as many phallic vegetables as she could at the food stalls, giving the horrified women who watched her a saucy wink every time. It seemed to infuriate them even more when she was seen visiting the shrine for another cleansing ritual by the priestess, who she now knew as Kikyo.

Her second visit to the shrine was just as pleasant as the first. She doubted Kikyo was part of the murders, but couldn't rule it out entirely, given who she worshipped. She hoped that she wasn't complicit though, simply because she found that she rather liked the priestess. Not because she understood her beliefs, of course, but she found the woman to be a calming presence despite the hostility that blanketed the town like an ill-conceived fog. The priestess was one of the only civilians to look at her without a trace of disgust, and while she didn't care a bit about how they saw her, it was rather nice to spend time with someone who didn't see her as the scum of the earth.

Kakashi, for his part, still walked around the town taking pictures of things that interested him, and they had found something interesting at last. Many of the civilian homes had a symbol carved above the door. The very same symbol that was carved above the entrance to the shrine. If she wasn't mistaken, that meant that the households with the symbol were followers of the goddess, and given that those same people were the ones that seemed to hate the shinobi and Sakura with a passion, she figured they were involved. Somehow, anyway.

The trouble was, it was a disconcerting number of people. A little less than half of the civilian population. This was worrying for multiple reasons, and she was firm in her letter to Gaara that this was a deep-seated problem that he would need to address sooner rather than later. She hoped that not every person who believed was also in on the murders, but she couldn't rule it out yet. It was too dangerous to assume that it was only one person responsible, and that if they took care of this one killer that another wouldn't pop up after a certain amount of time had lapsed. She could only hope that no one else was killed before they were able to find the person responsible, and see that they were brought to justice.

She was very tempted to just kill them instead of turning them over to Suna's authorities, and she had a suspicion that Kakashi felt the same way. Civilians they might be, but that didn't make them any less deadly.

Every night, Himura Yuki returned to spy on them, and every night Sakura cast a genjutsu on the surrounding area. Each time, she chose a different scenario for them to try out, and each time she narrated the illusion to Kakashi as he watched Yuki's face contorted with rage. There was no doubt in their minds that Sakura would be the next victim, and she was almost amused that most of the town seemed to agree. Not that anyone tried to warn her, which was just another nail in their coffins as far as she was concerned.

The nights they spent sitting at the window were filled with a new tension, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. Kakashi certainly didn't share his feelings on the subject. Not that she expected him to. The only physical contact they had was when they were out in public, and every touch was like throwing a match into a barrel of oil, both of them trying as hard as they could to blow out the flame before it ignited in an inferno neither one of them would survive. They still slept in the same bed, but there was a distance between them that made her heart ache with an emotion she refused to give a name to. 

Now that she knew his secret boner prevention method, he spent less time in her vicinity, and she suspected it was because it revealed more than he wanted it to. Then again, the fact that she used the same method to curb the heat that boiled between them said how much she was affected loud and clear.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair and wished for a senbon to stick in her mouth with a vengeance. She had to make do with a pencil, but the flimsy thing snapped between her teeth in under a minute. Annoyed and spitting out wood splinters, she clenched her hands into fists and took a deep, calming breath.  _ I would give anything for a spar. Or a good, hard fuck. _

The night before her bridal spa treatment finally arrived, and they went about their usual routine, with Sakura cooking dinner and Kakashi cleaning up afterward. Kakashi disappeared into the darkroom after he finished cleaning, and Sakura decided to do the laundry they both had been neglecting since they had started this mission. It wasn’t the first time she had done Kakashi’s laundry, but this time felt oddly domestic and made her fidget uncomfortably. They were only pretending to be engaged, but the ring on her finger would occasionally catch the light and her stupid heart would flutter. They  _ did not have time for this, dammit. _

Sakura shoved the last of their clothes in the washer, added the soap, and slammed the lid closed with a bang. Her fingers flicked the dials harder than necessary and once the machine started she folded her arms on top and dropped her head to rest on them, biting back a scream of frustration. This mission wasn’t supposed to mess with her head so much. And Kakashi wasn’t supposed to do so much to her heart.

She loved her boys. Sasuke had been her first love, but their relationship had never gone past friendship. Now, she saw him more as a brother than anything else. Sai had somehow become the awkward older brother she had never wanted, and Yamato-taichou too. Naruto was more complicated. Her best friend, confidante, and former lover. 

Kakashi had been… Kakashi. There were no words to properly describe him. Friend, certainly. Superior, of course. Teammate. He wasn’t supposed to make her heart flutter in her chest when he smiled - now that she could see his smile, anyway - or when he kissed her. He wasn’t supposed to turn her on with just a look, or a brush of his fingers on her skin. He was supposed to be  _ safe _ and there was nothing safe about this. Not anymore. It was more than the insane chemistry between them. More than the way they fit together like puzzle pieces. More than the banter that made her want to punch him, and tackle him to the ground to ravish him at the same time. More than that stupidly sexy crooked smile with his stupid dimples. More than a body she wanted to lick and kiss from head to toe. More than the fact that she trusted him with her life and maybe... with her heart. 

He wasn’t supposed to be so much more, damn him. He  _ wasn’t _ . 

But he was. Hatake Kakashi, the world’s most infuriating man, made her feel truly alive.

Soft footsteps alerted her to his presence and her head snapped up to see him looking at her with concern. “Kakashi…” she whispered, her breath caught in her throat. His eyes widened and he cocked his head, hand hovering near her but not touching. He was hesitating, and he hadn’t done that before. If he sensed she was upset - and he always knew, damn him - then he always,  _ always _ made her feel better. Either by sitting quietly beside her, distracting her with something stupid, or asking her what was wrong. His silence, and the way he resisted touching her, was foreign and wrong on so many levels. This stupid fucking mission was to blame. Or maybe it was the sex. 

Or maybe it was just her in general. She didn’t know anymore. Kakashi wasn’t a tactile person by any means, but he had never been afraid to touch her before, and she hated that he was now.

Sakura squeezed her eyes closed and took a breath, shoving away the butterflies and the tears that threatened to fall. She couldn’t let herself fall apart in front of him. Not now. Possibly not ever again. 

He didn’t say anything. He simply waited for her to collect herself, and she wasn’t sure if she was grateful for it or not. When she opened her eyes, she smiled brightly up at him. “Do you need something?”

A tiny line formed between his brows and his lips firmed, clearly not believing her smile, but he didn’t comment on it. “Yuki is late,” he said instead.

She looked out the window and saw that the sun had dipped below the horizon. The woman had always showed up in the evening, but never after dark. “You think they’ve decided, then?” she asked, refusing to look at him again.

“That would be my guess.”

Sakura hummed, fingers drumming lightly on the lid of the washing machine. “They’re going to try to kill me tomorrow, then.”

“Seems likely.”

His voice was devoid of emotion and she wasn’t sure if she was grateful or wanted to curse him for it. Either way, her heart hurt. “I think the spa treatment is where the poison is given. I’m going to eat what they give me, and pretend to fall asleep. I want you to be hidden nearby.” She paused, fingers tapping faster. “You know how to extract poison using chakra?”

“Aa.”

She hummed again. “You shouldn’t need to, but that’s good to know. You know the signal if I need you.”

It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t take it as one. 

“We’re ending this tomorrow.” There was steel in her words, and her fingers curled into a tight fist. “I won’t let another woman die. This has to end.” The deaths, the ignorance, the mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of an Easter egg in there for anyone who catches it. Let me know in the comments if you do!
> 
> We only have 3 more chapters to go! Thank you all for commenting, giving kudos, bookmarking, and everything else. I appreciate all of it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks goes again to MSH.

Gaara was just finishing his morning coffee with his siblings when a puzzled guard entered the room and bowed. 

“Kazekage-sama. Ah… There’s a ninken here to see you.”

Gaara nodded, ignoring the looks of interest from Kankuro and Temari from where they sat across from him. He had told them about asking Naruto for help with the deaths in Garasu, but they hadn’t heard the subsequent updates. It was just as well they were caught up now, with the ninken present. Especially if the ninken belonged to who he thought it did, and carried the message he was expecting.

The guard bowed again and stepped aside, allowing a small brown pug to trot into the room. The pug looked pointedly up at the guard until the man shuffled out of the room again and closed the door behind him. Satisfied, the pug came closer to the table and sat down. “Yo.”

Temari’s lips twitched, but she remained quiet. Kankuro snorted, and rested his chin in his hand as he waited for the report.

Gaara’s expression remained neutral, but even he was amused by the pug’s informality. Then again, he really couldn’t be that surprised, given the ninken’s summoner. Even as Hokage, Hatake Kakashi had hated formalities and would avoid them whenever possible. It only made sense that his ninken were the same.

“Boss and Bear-chan expect to find the killer today. Just to make sure they don’t have to fight the whole town, Bear-chan wants to have someone there to keep the shinobi in line.” Pakkun lifted a back leg and scratched at his ear. “She suggested Temari.”

Temari’s eyes widened, her interest piqued. “Why me specifically?”

Pakkun heaved a put upon sigh. “She said something about how the people there all have sticks up their asses and don’t like strong women. She wants to rub it in their faces.”

Lips curving in a pleased grin, Temari leaned back in her seat. “That sounds like fun. What do you say, Gaara?”

Gaara shrugged. He had spent more time with Sakura over the years and had come to learn that she had a vicious streak a mile wide when crossed, and it sounded like the villagers of Garasu had done just that. Interesting... And worrying. “I was going to send both of you anyway. Try to minimize the property damage.”

Kankuro stared at him as realization dawned. “You mean…” Gaara inclined his head, but didn’t say anything to confirm or deny his brother’s assumption. Kankuro grinned, slapping the table hard enough to rattle the dishes. “Hell yeah, count me in! This will be fun.”

“Probably smart,” Pakkun said lazily, setting his hind paw back down on the floor. “She’s gotten better over the years, but Bear-chan’s style isn’t exactly subtle.” He paused, tilting his head in thought before adding, “That is,  _ if _ the target is a shinobi. They’re still not sure.”

That was interesting. Especially considering the fact that the ANBU duo was confident enough that they would catch the killer that day to send Pakkun with the request for Suna reinforcements. Then again, considering the calibre of shinobi they were dealing with, maybe it wasn’t. He could think of very few who were stronger than Haruno Sakura or Hatake Kakashi, and the two of them combined was a very formidable team.

They were rather hard on architecture though, so he would have to move funding around to fix any damage they caused. 

“Pack what you need and head out immediately.” Gaara finished his coffee then pushed his plate away as his siblings shunshined out of the room. “Thank you, Pakkun.”

“No problem.” The pug stood and shook himself, then paused and looked up at Gaara with large, pleading eyes. “Before I go, you have any bacon left?”

Gaara’s lips twitched, and he took some from Kankuro’s plate, handing it to the ninken. “Sure.”

Pakkun carefully took the bacon from Gaara, gobbling it up in quick bites. “Thanks, kid. See ya!” With those words, he wasted no time and poofed out of the room, leaving the Kazekage to laugh quietly as he got ready to head to his office so he could update Naruto and go about his day.

* * *

After giving her message to Pakkun, Sakura left the house at first light. She visited the tailor to try on her wedding dress for one final fitting, and the florist to make sure that the bridal bouquet and various arrangements would be ready for tomorrow. The caterer gave her one last chance to go over the menu, and she checked with the venue to make sure they hadn’t accidentally overbooked. Everything was ready for the wedding that would never happen, and it was perfect.

The spa appointment loomed ever closer, and she forced herself not to rush things. She was an innocent bride to be, not an assassin, and if she showed any nerves, they had to be for the wedding, not the anticipation of the kill. And oh, how she wanted to kill them. She had never had to work so hard to hide her killing intent, or her rage, and she couldn’t wait to finally let it go.

She walked through Garasu with a bounce to her step, and a cheer that she didn’t feel. When Kakashi had summoned Pakkun while the world was still dark, she had kept her gaze on the pug. Even though he had been wearing a loose shirt and pants, there was no forgetting the warmth of his body against hers under the covers, or the way they had somehow tangled together in their sleep. They had started the night on opposite ends of the bed and ended up in the center, so wrapped up in each other that it had taken a bit of maneuvering to untangle themselves to get up. It was harder to do when they had both been avoiding the other’s gaze as best they could, and  _ it was fucking pathetic how badly she had wanted to just curl up in his arms and stay there forever. _

The new tension between them hadn’t escaped Pakkun’s notice, either. Although, he’d had the grace to not say anything about it. After a quick belly rub, Pakkun had zipped away to relay her message to the Kazekage. With the pug gone, they’d gone about getting ready for their day. Kakashi had summoned a clone matching his Sukea guise, and had disappeared into the bathroom to remove the makeup and wig. She had left before he finished, not wanting to see the familiar shock of white hair. The clone was bad enough, even though it had kept its distance from her as she got ready, thankfully. The last thing she did before leaving was brush her lips lightly over the clone’s, and that had been difficult enough. She knew it was a clone, but it had still felt like him, even  _ smelled _ like him, and the light brush of its lips had sent zings of pleasure through her.

She was rather jealous that Kakashi was able to let go of his disguise at last, even if his clone carried on as if nothing had changed. It would feel so good to stop her henge and slip into her ANBU uniform, or even better, her usual clothes. 

Sakura shook it off then continued on her errands, mind working over the case. She still didn’t know if the killer was a shinobi or civilian. If it was a civilian, it would be easy to subdue them and just call the mission done. If it was a shinobi, that would significantly complicate things. She would be in her civilian guise, and without any weapons. Not that she tended to use weapons anyway, but it did put her at a disadvantage to not have any at her disposal should she need them. This was why she had asked Kakashi to be outside the building when her appointment started, just in case. Even if his presence made her heart do funny and inconvenient things, she could count on him to watch her back. Always.

It was impossible to miss the way the villagers acted around her. There was a new tension in the air, and she watched with a mix of frustration and amusement as the shinobi she passed smirked when they thought she wasn’t paying attention. The civilians looked at her with pity or anticipation, and she catalogued every face that showed the latter to follow up with later. By the time she walked through the doors of the spa, she had racked up a list of twenty-seven faces to find after her appointment.

Her massage therapist would be disappointed to see their hard work spoiled so quickly after her relaxation treatment, but it couldn’t be helped. Maybe she could book another appointment in Konohagakure. Ino would know a good place.

“Sato-san!” she said brightly, immediately spotting the receptionist. “I’m here for my appointment.” Sakura leaned forward like she was revealing a great secret, and wiggled her hips. “I’m so excited!”

The receptionist’s answering smile was tense, but the woman did a decent job of faking professionalism as she stepped out from behind her desk and bowed. “Of course. Would you like some tea to start?”

“Oh, yes please!” Sakura watched as the woman nodded and went to a small table and began to prepare a cup for her. Sakura sat in a plush chair nearby, watching as Kari added lavender and chrysanthemum, a common blend for relaxation. The scent was pleasant as the woman placed the cup in her hands, and Sakura breathed it in. No added ingredients that she could smell, just a simple herbal tea. She gently blew on it before taking a sip, eyes closing as she let the herbs soothe her. It was a nice blend, and she did appreciate it, despite Kari’s obvious discomfort from being around her. She would have felt bad for the other woman if her reasoning hadn’t been so shitty.

Kari bowed to her again and disappeared into the back rooms, presumably to let staff know that Sakura had arrived. Sakura savored the taste of her tea, and fought to keep the anticipation from making her jittery.

Kari returned a moment later as Sakura was finishing her tea, and indicated Sakura follow her into the back. Sakura stood and set her teacup on the table for the woman to clean up later, and ducked under the curtain to the warm interior of the spa. 

Large, tropical plants in large pots scattered throughout the room helped to increase the humidity to comfortable levels. The colors were soft and warm, and Sakura thought that, in any other situation, it would be very soothing. However, she was on edge as she catalogued where every object was in relation to her person, dismissing most objects as insufficient weapons choices should she need to grab something. The pots would be an interesting thing, although she was loath to hurt the plants. Pity.

Kari led her into a small room with a massage table, and swept her arm to indicate the plush robe that hung from the door. “If you would undress and put on the robe, we can begin with a facial and a body wrap. You may leave your clothes in this basket, here.”

Sakura nodded to show she understood, and Kari bowed again before she left the room. Alone, Sakura looked over the room carefully, not seeing anything out of place. Satisfied for the time being, she slipped out of her clothes and donned the robe, taking a moment to stroke her fingers over the fabric. It was ridiculously soft against her skin.

A polite knock announced the arrival of her aesthetician, and Sakura called out a hello before the door opened. A young woman stepped inside and bowed before she pushed in a small cart full of lotions and scrubs and plush fabrics.

“Hello, Akina-san.” Her voice was soft and soothing, but Sakura was watching the woman’s mouth with growing interest. The curve of the woman’s lips and the line of her jaw was familiar, so when the woman lifted her head to look at her, she knew who she was before hearing her name. “My name is Himura Yuki. I’ll be your aesthetician today.”

Sakura fought to keep her expression cheerful when all she wanted to do was wring the woman’s neck.  _ Hello, little spy. _

“Thank you, Himura-san.” Sakura bowed back, and watched as Yuki began to rearrange her supplies on the cart. Sakura sat on the massage table, keeping her eyes wide and curious as she studied the woman's smooth movements. She recognized several of the lotion brands as ones that Ino preferred, and nothing on the cart seemed particularly unusual. As far as she could tell, it was fairly standard. Not that she had gotten many massages, but from what she remembered, it seemed pretty normal.

“If you would lie back for me, Akina-san. I can start with the facial.”

Sakura had to admire the woman’s calm. If she hadn’t seen the woman watching her from the bedroom window, Sakura never would have known she carried so much hatred in her. Yuki’s face was serene, her hands moving with a subtle grace that reminded Sakura of a dancer. This close to her, Sakura could even admire the smoothness of the woman’s skin, and how her clothes were neatly pressed, not a hair out of place in the tight bun at the base of her skull. A pretty woman, if plainly dressed. As Sakura complied, lying back on the table, she felt the first stirrings of rage from the woman and almost laughed at it.

_ Girl’s a great actor, _ Sakura thought. Not a wrinkle formed on Yuki’s face as she used a soft cotton cloth and a witch hazel solution to run over Sakura’s face in quick, calm strokes. Sakura closed her eyes to let her nose figure out the ingredients, quickly dismissing them as harmless. Witch hazel, aloe, and rose petals. Safe, and a very nice toner, actually. Perhaps she should use that combination more regularly. 

Despite the woman’s anger, she was a good aesthetician. Her hands were gentle but firm, strokes precise and sure. Sakura felt herself relaxing into the treatment, although she was certainly amused when she felt small spikes of anger coming from the woman. They came at the oddest times, particularly when her hands went over Sakura’s neck, and Sakura wondered what made her concentrate her anger on those spots in particular. 

She cycled through the genjutsu she had used over the past few days, and almost laughed when she realized it had to be when her genjutsu self had latched her teeth on Kakashi’s throat, leaving a livid purple bruise there. It had been a fairly savage move on her part, and she had been rather intrigued when she noticed Kakashi’s chakra cycled more fiercely when she had narrated that particular bit to him. Not that it was a surprise that he liked it rather rough. 

_ Stop thinking about it, _ she scolded herself, fighting back a frown that threatened to form. 

Yuki brushed lotion over her brow, smoothing the lines, and Sakura wondered what the other woman was thinking. There was no anger in her movements, but her boiling emotions could be felt in other ways. This woman truly hated her, and Sakura couldn’t help poking at her a little.

“This is so nice,” she murmured, keeping her eyes closed. Yuki’s hands paused only for a moment before she continued, but Sakura knew the other woman was listening. Instead of saying anything more, Sakura went quiet again, and Yuki finally began to relax.

The rest of the treatment was blissful, and Sakura was disappointed she couldn’t fully enjoy it. As the session continued, the woman’s hatred only seemed to grow, and Sakura was impressed that the woman was able to keep herself professional despite it. 

Sakura couldn’t detect a single harmful chemical in any of the products Yuki used. It was looking less and less likely that Yuki herself was the killer. There was still no doubt in Sakura’s mind that the aesthetician was involved, but it didn’t look like she was a murderer. Sakura couldn’t completely write her off, however, given her extensive time spent spying and the rage that rolled off her in waves.

Sakura’s interest piqued when Yuki pulled out acupuncture needles and began to expertly insert them. As a medic, Sakura was familiar with acupuncture and knew exactly what points to hit to enhance relaxation. Yuki was an expert, and Sakura’s grudging admiration grew. The admiration switched to amusement when she realized that the needles had been dipped in a sedative, however. Perhaps Yuki wasn’t so innocent after all.

In the interest of seeing where this went, Sakura pretended to become lethargic, forcing her muscles to relax into the table even as her chakra worked to neutralize the sedative. Just because she was being sedated didn’t mean she couldn’t poke at the woman anymore.

“Mm, so nice,” she slurred, humming happily. “Can’t  _ wait _ t’be m’rried t’morrow. Love ‘im so much.”

A shiver ran down her spine, and her mind cleared instantly as she realized what she had said. It was just to piss Yuki off, and she had been talking about Sukea as Akina and not Kakashi as Sakura, but… That didn’t make it any less true, and she hadn’t said it to Kakashi but to  _ Yuki _ .  _ Dammit. _

Her heart raced and she forced herself to put the brilliant and warm emotions into a box to examine later, when she wasn’t actively trying to catch a killer. It fucking figured she accidentally put it together at the worst possible time.

“Is that why you fawn over him so?” Yuki’s voice was calm but icy cold, and Sakura had to force herself to keep her muscles relaxed so the woman thought she was truly sedated.

“ _ Yes, _ ‘course. He’s so yum.” Her lips curved in a dopey smile that was more real than fake. “You seen ‘im? So ‘andsome.”

“He is attractive,” Yuki said grudgingly, like she absolutely hated admitting such a thing. “But that sort of  _ affection _ should only happen after you have been properly wed.”

“ _ Pffft, _ no fun,” Sakura whined. “Wedding’s jus’ so I can call ‘im my  _ ‘usband _ . Can jump ‘im anytime. An’ I  _ will _ .” She sighed dreamily, allowing a faint blush to color her cheeks. “So sexy.”

Now that Yuki believed her to be properly sedated, she didn’t bother trying to hide her disgust, her pretty face contorting into an ugly scowl. “You’re so  _ shameful! _ There’s nothing pure about you!”

Well, she wasn’t exactly  _ wrong _ , but Sakura didn’t think that was really a bad thing. She wrinkled her nose and attempted to look at Yuki without falling off the table. “No ‘m not.” She huffed and pouted. “I see Kikyo-sama e’ry day! She pur’fies me.”

Yuki clicked her tongue derisively and snatced the acupuncture needles from Sakura’s skin. The lack of care would probably leave marks, and Sakura had to make sure her chakra didn’t try to heal them yet. “No, you are a disgrace to women and to this village. The goddess  _ will _ punish you.”

_ The goddess? Interesting. _ Sakura’s thoughts whirled with possibilities as her suspicions shifted with the new information. “How’zat?”

Yuki’s expression turned smug as she helped Sakura sit up rather forcefully and then dragged her out of the room, not caring that Sakura was stumbling. The grip on her arm was bruising, and yet another thing Sakura had to keep her chakra from healing. It seemed that Sakura’s teasing had changed things because instead of starting her on a sugar scrub and body wrap, she shoved Sakura into a room with a pool of water in the very center, steam wafting in gentle clouds around the room. A small table and chair were set off to one side, and Sakura was shoved into the chair. A bowl of fruit and a small cactus salad that smelled of citrus and vinegar was placed in front of her a moment later. Sakura eyed the food with interest, pretending to wobble in her chair as she leaned forward to pick up a strawberry and pop it in her mouth. It had been hours since she had last eaten, and she  _ was _ rather hungry, even if the dark spices on the cactus dish were probably grated suicide tree seed.

Yuki stood in front of her, arms crossed over her chest, and watched carefully as Sakura tucked into the food. The woman definitely knew something, but how much?

“Make sure you eat it all.”

Sakura’s head bobbed in acknowledgement as she did as she was told, enjoying the taste of the fruit and the salad, despite the poison. The moment the suicide tree seed touched her tongue, her chakra wrapped around it in a thin film, separating it from the rest and working to neutralize it before it started to wreak havoc on her system. Only the barest amount of chakra was needed, and Sakura doubted anyone would be able to sense it unless they already knew what to look for, but she was careful anyway.

“S’good,” she said with a silly grin, scraping the last of the salad into her mouth. 

Yuki nodded decisively and grabbed Sakura’s arm again, hauling her upward with surprising strength for a civilian. Sakura kept her body loose, a giggle escaping her as her feet slid on the damp floor. “Good, you’re ready. I will get the priestess.” And then she shoved Sakura into the pool of water.

A sinking feeling washed over Sakura as she struggled with her robe and to find her feet in the water, watching Yuki leave the room. Was Kikyo involved after all? She had really hoped not.

Her robe was now waterlogged and more of a nuisance than anything else. She was tempted to just take the thing off when Yuki returned, a smug smile on her face. Another woman followed after, pausing in the doorway to look Sakura over. Cold washed over her as Sakura realized that the woman Yuki seemed to believe was a priestess was actually a shinobi. The woman made no effort to hide her chakra signature, and she seemed to recognize Sakura’s own shinobi status somehow, much to Sakura’s irritation.

“Thank you, Himura-san. I will carry out the goddess’s will from here. You may go.”

Surprise flashed across Yuki’s face. She looked like she wanted to protest, but the way the shinobi quietly waited for her to leave was enough to force Yuki out. It spoke volumes of the woman’s level of involvement. Yuki might have thought that the goddess was the one killing the women, but she had no qualms about watching them receive their punishment.

_ Sick bitch. _ Her secret out, Sakura flared her chakra twice in quick succession to alert Kakashi. If Yuki tried leaving the building, he would capture her. She could feel the familiar chakra signatures of Temari and Kankuro, which meant that Pakkun had successfully delivered her message. Not that she’d had any doubt.

Once Yuki was gone, the shinobi faced Sakura and gave her a smile that was too broad to be entirely serene. “Mint and strawberries. An interesting flavor.”

Sakura frowned, but didn’t speak. A hint of recognition tugged at the back of her mind, but she didn’t put the energy forth to puzzle over it. Turned out, she didn’t need to.

“Your chakra,” the shinobi said conversationally. “It smells like mint and strawberries.” 

_ Huh. _

Sakura didn’t have time to unpack that statement, but it was interesting to know that the shinobi could smell chakra, at least. “They think you’re a priestess?” Sakura said instead.

The shinobi sighed, her posture oddly relaxed despite the tension in the room. “That was their idea, not mine. It’s easier that way, though. The idiot girl didn’t realize she was spying on a shinobi though.” She frowned, visibly disappointed. “I should have checked myself, but I hadn’t expected the Kazekage to send someone undercover.”

A bit shortsighted, but all right. Sakura took a step forward and immediately halted when the woman’s killing intent filled the room like a flood. Wary, Sakura didn’t move again, waiting for the woman to make the first move. She was going in blind, and while she was confident in her abilities, she had absolutely no idea what to expect.

“But you’re a medic, aren’t you?” Her head tilted to the side, studying Sakura closely, allowing Sakura to study her in turn. She didn’t recognize her. Sakura hadn’t expected her to, but it would have been nice if she had. The woman’s long blonde hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail at her nape, falling down to the middle of her back. Pale eyes the color of a stormy sky studied her carefully and with a vague interest like Sakura was some rare animal. She was dressed in typical Suna garb, brown long-sleeved shirt and loose pants made of linen for airflow. She did not have any visible weapons, but that didn’t mean she was unarmed.

It was annoying that no one expected a medic to be any good in a fight, but in this case, it would work to her advantage. Sakura inclined her head in reply, neither confirming nor denying. The fact that she wasn’t face down in the water was testament to her medic skills, however, given the amount of sedative that Yuki had dosed her with.

“Why do this?” Sakura asked. “Why kill civilian women the night before their weddings? It can’t be for that stupid purity bullshit.”

“You’re right, it isn’t.” The woman smiled again, just a bit too wide to be friendly. She attacked, pulling a wakizashi from her sleeve.

Sakura exploded out of the water, sending chakra to the soles of her feet as she dove out of the way of the wakizashi aimed at her heart. She ducked and weaved, chakra lining her hands to block in lieu of using a kunai or arm guard. Sakura growled, spinning to drive her heel into the woman’s kidney as she untied the sash of her robe and whipped the garment over the woman’s head.

A scream of rage and the tearing of fabric, and Sakura yanked the sash from the robe, wrapping it around her fist. 

“No shame at all!” the woman screamed, rushing forward. Sakura spun away, whipping the sash and lining it with chakra to wrap around the woman’s swordhand. She yanked the sash, tightening it around the woman’s fingers and smiled grimly at the cry of pain it caused.

“You’re seriously pissed that I’m naked, now?” Sakura demanded as she pulled the sash again and sent the wakizashi flying to embed in the far wall. Irritation flowed through her like fire and she rushed forward, chakra lining her fist. 

The woman dodged, hands moving swiftly and then Sakura was engulfed by a wave of water.

_ Fuck. _ Sakura spun in the water, using her chakra to catch the wall behind her, and watched as the woman speared through the water like a javelin. Sakura barely had time to force herself out of the way, frantically searching for the surface. She didn't know if the woman could somehow breathe underwater, but Sakura desperately needed air. 

Another flare of chakra and Sakura kicked toward the ceiling, her lungs burning. A hand wrapped around her ankle and she swore internally. Twisting around, Sakura kicked savagely at the woman’s head and arm until she was free again. Another kick and she was swimming toward the ceiling and fresh air. Hopefully.

_ Fucking fuck. _ Lungs screaming for air, she pressed her face to the ceiling and coughed, nearly choking on water as she gasped for breath. Fingers wrapped around her ankle and she yelled as she was pulled under again.

Unlike before, the grip on her ankle slackened and then disappeared, and she took another gulp of air before knifing her body down. Relief spread through her as she saw one of Kakashi's ninken yank the woman’s ankle toward the door, teeth slicing through her skin and creating crimson ribbons in the water. Rage twisted the woman’s features and she moved her hands to cast another jutsu, focusing on the ninken. Sakura wrapped her hands around the woman’s and  _ squeezed _ , crushing the bones to powder.

The scream of agony that ripped from the woman’s throat with a stream of bubbles was more than a little satisfying, even more so when the water level suddenly dropped, the jutsu ended. Akino landed with a snarl on the wet tiles, teeth still lodged deeply in the woman’s leg. Just to make sure the woman wouldn’t put up more of a fight, Sakura kicked her knee, snapping the bones into a nauseating angle.

“Thanks, Akino. Can you drag her outside for me? I need to find some clothes.” Sakura scowled as she wrung out her hair. All that work gone to waste. 

Akino wagged his tail, not seeming to mind the fact that he was sopping wet in the least, or that his dark sunglasses had fogged up. Satisfied the woman couldn’t get away, he released her leg. “Sure thing, Bear-chan.” He saluted with a paw and bent to grab the woman by the ankle again, creating a new wound with his sharp teeth. 

“You fucking  _ bitch! _ ” the woman shrieked, jabbing her elbow at Sakura. Sakura rolled her eyes and brought her heel down on the woman’s bicep, breaking the bones with an audible crack.

“Yeah,  _ I’m _ the bitch,” Sakura muttered as she made the hand signs to summon a clone. A perfect likeness of her civilian guise poofed into existence, wearing the robe she had been given earlier, looking just as waterlogged and bedraggled as Sakura felt. “Go out and find Sukea. Pretend you’re upset, you hate this place, all that. Keep our cover until you’re both away from the village and then you can go.”

The clone grinned and waggled her fingers in acknowledgement, bending momentarily to scratch Akino behind the ears before she trotted out of the spa. Akino followed a moment later, dragging the screaming woman behind him. Sakura smirked when the ninken purposefully moved in a way that banged her injured arm into the door. She would have to make some extra sausage treats for him. 

* * *

Kakashi had hidden in the shadows as Sakura had first entered the spa for her appointment, his ninken spread around the building to guard the exits. Temari and Kankuro had arrived not long after, much to his relief, and after a quick debrief, they’d split up to announce their presence to Garasu. Neither bothered to hide their chakra signatures, and none of the shinobi of the village dared move against them. Some looked wearily at Kakashi, made nervous by his full ANBU uniform, but with the Suna siblings clearly acknowledging his presence and not asking him to release his summons at the very least, they’d remained relatively calm.

Until the first flare of Sakura’s chakra, anyway. The Garasu shinobi shifted uneasily, but Temari and Kankuro remained calm, if curious. “Any shinobi working in there?” Kankuro asked the crowd, not seeming to actually expect an answer.

One of the shinobi, a fairly young one, cleared his throat. “Ah, just Miko-san, I think.”

The other shinobi stepped away from him, clearly separating him from the group, and the young man shuffled his feet awkwardly. Kakashi listened attentively as Kankuro focused his attention on him. “What does she do?”

“Cooks, mostly.” He shrugged, trying for nonchalance but failing miserably, especially when the other shinobi around him started giving him dirty looks.

“The killer put the poison in the food,” Kakashi said quietly, voice just loud enough to reach Kankuro’s ears. 

Kankuro raised his voice, gaze sharp and accusing as he addressed the crowd of shinobi. “Everyone go home. You,” he pointed to the one shinobi who had spoken up, and the young man gulped audibly. “You stay here.” The assembled shinobi did as they were bid, but Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that they hadn’t gone far.

A moment later, a young woman walked out the spa, positively spitting with fury. Even though he was only seeing her for the first time, he recognized the rage that rolled off her in waves. “Himura Yuki,” he said, voice quiet and calm, but not bothering to hide the underlying anger.

Yuki stopped abruptly, head snapping up to stare first at Kakashi, and then at Temari and Kankuro. She swallowed thickly, her rage cooling instantly and turning to trepidation. “Can I help you?”

A brief nod from Kakashi, and Temari smiled at the woman, the curve of her lips a bit too sharp to be friendly. “You can hold out your hands.”

Too stunned to protest, Yuki did as she was bid and shrieked when Temari shunshin to her side, snapping a pair of cuffs around her wrists. Yuki’s mouth dropped open in shock, finally seeming to notice the danger she was in. “What are you doing?!” she demanded, attempting to pull herself from Temari’s firm grip.

“Attempted murder, actual murder, spying, defamation of character,” Kakashi said carelessly, ticking each one off on his fingers. 

“I didn’t kill anyone!” Yuki shouted, struggling in Temari's grip again. “The goddess saw their evil and punished them. I didn’t do anything to those sluts!”

Temari’s brows rose nearly to her hairline. “More of this goddess crap?”

“Seems like it.” Kakashi tilted his head when he felt another flare of chakra from Sakura, and an explosion from one he didn’t recognize. Ah, the fight had begun. “And calling people sluts isn’t very nice, you know. Bit hypocritical for a voyeur to say, really.”

Yuki’s cheeks bloomed red and she looked caught between rage and embarrassment. “You make it sound like I  _ enjoyed- _ ”

“Didn’t you? You watched them every night,” Kakashi commented in a bored tone, angling his head in a way that he knew looked unsettling while he was wearing the ANBU mask. Yuki trembled with rage, her head held high with indignation, and Kakashi continued before she could speak. “Watched them eat dinner together, watched them fuck. Not just to see if they were  _ going _ to fuck, but watched the act itself. For quite a while, too. Why do that if you don’t enjoy it?”

“Sounds like a voyeur to me,” Kankuro said, mouth curved in a smirk. “Kinda kinky, actually.”

Temari rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue her brother’s statement.

Another chakra flare and Kakashi frowned. “Akino. Shiba.”

The tan and white ninken melted out of the shadows and sat, dark sunglasses glinting in the bright desert sun. Another ninken, this one white and gray with a wild black tuft of fur on his head sat beside him. “Yeah, boss,” they chorused.

“Akino, go see if Bear needs assistance. Shiba, get everyone else out of the building and bring them here.”

The ninken saluted with a paw. “You got it.” Without another word, they both trotted into the building and disappeared from sight.

“You think she actually needs help?” Temari asked, brow furrowed with faint worry. Kakashi suspected that the Suna siblings knew exactly who his partner was, which meant that they were well aware of her abilities and how difficult it would be to best her in a fight. If Sakura was actually in trouble, that would be worrying.

“Probably not.” Kakashi didn’t elaborate further and kept his posture relaxed despite the fact that he wanted more than anything to rush inside and fight the shinobi responsible for the deaths of so many women. This was Sakura’s fight, and the rage she held within her needed a release. He would let her keep this fight, but only because he knew that his partner would make it every bit as brutal as the enemy deserved. Besides, it would be that much better to have a woman be the one to mete out justice.

A moment later, three very confused women stumbled out of the building, followed closely behind by Shiba. Without being prompted, the gray ninken herded them closer to Yuki and Temari, and sat down next to them, tongue lolling out in a canine grin. A jerk of the head from Kakashi, and Urushi and Bisuke joined him in guarding the prisoners.

When Akino didn’t call for help, Kakashi smiled behind his mask. Yeah, she was fine. Fierce pride bloomed in his chest and he was glad that his ANBU mask hid his expression. He was probably grinning like an idiot. 

He had no reason to be proud, really, since he had taught her very little over the years, but he was anyway. As a former Hokage, he was proud of the kunoichi she had become, a shining symbol of what it meant to be a shinobi of the Leaf. She had impressed him again and again during this mission, with her knowledge of poisons and her leadership skills. He was usually the captain during team missions, but it was easy to follow her lead when she was so damn good at it. It certainly helped that they knew each other so well. Far better now that they had slept together, and he promptly banished the thought. It brought too many other things to mind that had no business being there. 

Sensing the end of the battle, Kakashi gave a tug with his chakra and his Sukea clone came forward, looking anxious. Temari and Kankuro eyed the clone with interest, but didn’t say a word. Yuki scowled hatefully at him, which the clone ignored.

Kakashi heard Sakura's clone before he saw her, and was mildly surprised to see her run out of the spa sopping wet and only wearing a robe. Tears streamed down her face and she ran straight into the arms of his Sukea clone. 

“Akina-chan, what’s the matter?” The Sukea clone petted her wet hair and tried to check her over, but the Akina clone was too busy crying and trying to burrow into his arms to let him. “Where are your clothes?”

“They poisoned me!” Akina wailed. Her caterwauling was drawing even more of a crowd than before, this time civilian, and Kakashi wondered if that had been Sakura's intent. Probably.

“Poison?!” Sukea stared at her, checking more fervently than before. “Are you alright? We need a medic!”

“No, no, the kunoichi saved me. She took care of it.” Akina shook her head and petted his face before her gaze fell to the gathering crowd. She swallowed, but then her eyes found Yuki and the righteous fury that colored her face was a thing to behold. “ _ You! _ You bitch! You drugged me!”

Yuki’s face reddened and she opened her mouth to protest when the spa door opened again and Akino dragged a severely injured shinobi out onto the street, not seeming to care at all when the door slammed into her gut. He tugged again to free her, his grip unrelenting on her leg, and finally dropped her when she was close to the cuffed and whimpering Yuki. Satisfied, Akino sat down and grinned at the assembled shinobi, sunglasses glinting, completely ignoring the screams of rage and pain from his prisoner. Kakashi tried not to smirk when he saw the extent of the damage done to the woman. She must have seriously pissed Sakura off, given the fact that she could only scream, her limbs all but useless.

“Where’s Bear?” he asked when he didn’t see her, raising his voice to be heard over the shinobi’s yelling.

“Ah…” Akino tilted his head, pausing for a moment before he finally answered. “She had to find some clothes.”

_ Umm… _ Kakashi froze, his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth. No words came and he could only flick his gaze from the ninken to the door and back again.  _ Why does she need to find clothes? _

Akina gasped, and whirled to face Sukea. “That’s right! She was in the bath with me!”

Kankuro’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and Temari seemed to be caught between amusement and incredulity. “Wait, are you saying she was fighting  _ naked? _ ” Kankuro demanded, sounding far too interested in Kakashi’s opinion.

“You two, go home,” Kakashi said to the clones before Akina could say anything else. He did  _ not _ need the image in his head of a naked Sakura fighting in a room with a pool. Probably slick with water and cheeks flushed with rage.

_ Dammit. _

“Fuck this place, we’re moving!” Akina declared, wrapping her arm around Sukea’s and dragging him down the street with her. “This town is awful! We’re going somewhere with normal people, baby. I hate this place.”

Sukea’s placating words were too quiet to hear, and Kakashi tuned them out anyway. They were doing their job, keeping their covers, and that was enough.

“As hot as that is, if she’s naked, she won’t have a weapon,” Kankuro said, frowning at the door. 

He looked like he was seconds away from going in to help, and Kakashi smiled from behind his mask. “ _ She _ is a weapon.”

Temari appraised him with a tiny smile, and he knew that maybe those words gave away more than they should, but that didn't make them any less true, and he couldn't bring himself to care. Sakura didn’t need their help. 

"You sound like a proud father, Hound," Temari said with a smirk.

Kakashi glared at her, the effect lost due to the mask he wore. "I'm not her dad," he muttered under his breath.

Kankuro snickered and muttered something that sounded like  _ Rokudaddy _ , and if not for the loss of diplomacy between nations, Kakashi was sorely tempted to strangle him.

Yuki was babbling something now, but he deemed it nothing important. Especially when he felt Sakura’s chakra and watched her walk out of the spa wearing the clothes she had put on that morning, long, wet hair pulled in a loose bun and a look of disgust on her face. The henge was gone, and he was more than a little relieved to see her familiar pink hair and the purple seal in the middle of her brow, her bright jade eyes narrowed to slits as she glared at the enemy shinobi, who had finally been silenced by Bull’s massive paw on her face. A quick scan revealed she was uninjured, and his shoulders relaxed fractionally in relief.

Sakura lifted her gaze to take in Temari, Kankuro, and the ninken, and finally Kakashi himself. He didn’t think he was imagining things when her gaze remained on him a few seconds too long before she looked back at the Suna siblings. She took a deep breath and settled her hands on her hips. “I really liked this spa until the very end. Judgy bitches are the worst.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just two more chapters to go! I'm so excited. This isn't the end, though. There will be lots of side fics for this universe I've created, and they'll all be under the series tag Here's To Us.
> 
> I love all of the comments, thank you so much! They really make my day. :) See you next week!


	9. Chapter 9

Higarashi Miko’s interrogation had given Sakura the worst migraine of her life, and she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Garasu as she possibly could. The idiot shinobi had killed innocent women because her own civilian lover had left her for a “looser woman” - her words, not Sakura’s - and so she had only done what she could to rid the village of temptation. Because that had  _ clearly _ been the problem.

The interrogation had been conducted by Temari and Sakura, with Kankuro searching for more information within the village itself and Kakashi watching from the other side of a one way mirror. Secured with chakra cuffs - an unnecessary precaution given the state of the woman’s hands, which Sakura had refused to heal out of spite - Higarashi Miko sat glaring at the two kunoichi, a gag keeping her from continuing her tirade.

Sakura rubbed her temples behind her ANBU mask with chakra-infused fingers, and fought not to reach across the table to strangle the woman with her own tongue. Temari managed to remain more or less professional, but even she was struggling to hide her disgust. The two large screens facing the table showed the Kazekage and the Hokage, and they had been witness to Higarashi’s confession. Both men wore the robes and hats of their rank, looking stern and official. 

“I hate to say it, Kazekage-sama, but Garasu has a serious problem,” Sakura said, sounding far wiser than her twenty-five years. “Higarashi might be responsible for the murders themselves, but she was able to get away with it for so long because the whole town is corrupt. The shinobi living here don’t care at all about protecting the civilian population, and the civilians don’t trust shinobi. With more education, I think people would come to understand how things work without a goddess’s help, but the ignorance is deep seated.”

Temari nodded in agreement. “Only Higarashi and Himura acted on their prejudice, but they are both a product of the isolation of Garasu. Kankuro is investigating right now, but Bear-san believes that, while not directly responsible, a large part of the shinobi and civilian population, were complicit.”

Gaara sighed quietly. “I see. I will need to speak with the Wind Daimyo in order to move forward with handling the civilian population. Himura will face charges with the civilian courts for her involvement. Bear-san, do you have an approximate for the number of civilians who were at least somewhat aware of what was happening?”

“Twenty-seven expressed anticipation as they saw Akina walking to her appointment, which leads me to think that, while they might not have known any specifics, they at least  _ expected _ her to die that night. None of them tried to warn her of the danger. Those are only the civilians she encountered that day. I don’t doubt that there were more that she just didn’t see.”

Naruto’s expression remained grave, but only someone who knew him as well as she did would see the tick in his jaw, hidden by the Hokage hat. He was doing an admirable job of keeping a lid on his temper, but he was furious. The relief on his face when she had first come into view upon the start of the interrogation had warmed her heart, and she had shifted so he could see the small hand sign she made just for him.

_ We’re okay. _

“I see.” Gaara closed his eyes in thought for a long moment before he seemed to come to a decision. “Higarashi Miko, for the murder of five civilian women, you face immediate execution. With no other accomplices aside from the civilian Himura Yuki, this case is closed in the eyes of Sunagakure. Temari.”

Temari nodded and pulled a kunai from her obi, moving to stand behind Higarashi. Her eyes cold, she struck the blade between the vertebrae at the base of the skull. Sakura thought the woman deserved a more prolonged death, but was still savagely pleased with the sentence. To prey on the weak for such a reason made her blood boil.

Gaara nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good. I’ll contact the Wind Daimyo now. Hokage-sama, ANBU, Temari.” He made a shallow bow and the screen went black.

Temari yanked her kunai out of Higarashi and wiped the blade on the woman’s haori with a scowl. “Good riddance. Bear-san, I’ll meet you outside when you’re ready.” She bowed to Naruto, who waved back, and left the room.

Naruto visibly relaxed in his chair and removed the Hokage hat, tossing it somewhere off screen. “Ah, Sakura. You mentioned the town’s opinion change of Akina and Sukea after their third night. Did you find out why?” Naruto asked, leaning forward with interest as the door to the interrogation room clicked open and Kakashi stepped inside. Clad in full ANBU gear, she couldn’t read his expression, but she just knew he was smirking.

Sakura’s lips twitched. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kakashi beat her to it.

“Sukea and Akina had spent some time in Sunagakure a few months prior at a bar. The bartender was visiting Garasu this week to help with his family, and recognized them.” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug, completely ignoring Naruto’s ever-widening blue eyes. “He was rather vocal about that night and his observations of their relationship, and some of the villagers heard.”

_ Shit. _ Sakura recognized that slow grin on Naruto’s face.  _ Dammit, Kakashi. _

“How many months prior, exactly?” Naruto was positively wiggling with glee, and Sakura closed her eyes, tempted to cut the connection and pretend it was a hardware malfunction. He would never let this go if he knew the truth, and Kakashi seemed too amused to care.

Kakashi pretended to think about it, head tilted in thought. “Mm, about six.”

_ There we go. _ She really should have stopped him, but the fact that he was saying it at all made her hold her tongue. Kakashi was a very private person, and he damn well knew that Naruto was aware of their fling in Sunagakure, just not who the fling had involved. With Kakashi’s confirmation, everything was on the table. While she would probably tell Naruto about it later, this was a conversation she wanted to have with Kakashi alone.

“OK, bye Naruto!” she blurted out when Naruto opened his mouth to say something, and she slapped the console to cut the feed and end the call. She could practically hear his howl of indignation at being deprived of gossip, but she didn’t care. She fell back in her chair and glared at Kakashi, who was leaning against the opposite wall and snickering. “Did you have to do that? He’s going to be impossible to deal with now.”

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, making the muscles bulge and she was  _ not _ staring at them. Nope. Not at all. And he was doing it on purpose, damn him.

“He would have found out sooner or later,” Kakashi said dismissively.

Sakura pushed up her mask so she could look at him properly. He did the same with his, eyes creased in a grin. The bottom half of his face was hidden by the ever-present mask, but now that she knew what that grin looked like without it… It sent a flurry of butterflies through her belly just thinking about it, and she couldn’t stop them even if she’d wanted to. 

Now that the mission was finally over, she could release all of the feelings she had suppressed since the moment she realized that he had been her fling in Sunagakure. The man she had spent an incredible night with six months before, and had only grown to appreciate more and more as the mission progressed. The combustible chemistry between them, the way she trusted him with her life and her heart. The man she had, somehow, fallen in love with. And, if his admission to Naruto was any indication, he had no intention of hiding their involvement. That, in Kakashi-speak, spoke volumes.

Sakura stood and stepped around the corpse slumped over the table, giving the chair a kick to send it falling to the ground just to satisfy her own petty need for revenge. Kakashi breathed out a laugh, but stayed in place as she sauntered up until they were toe to toe, her head tilted back so she could meet his gaze. Charcoal eyes softened with affection, and he held perfectly still as she delicately placed one hand on his chest, the other tugging his mask down to pool around his throat as she rose up on her toes to brush her lips over his. He kissed her back, a light pressure, but she felt it all the same, and she settled back on her heels with a soft smile. “Ready to go?”

Kakashi hummed, uncrossing his arms and brushing his fingers over the curve of her jaw. “Mmhmm. How about a small detour before we go home?”

Intrigued, she leaned into his touch, covering his hand with hers. “Did you have a particular place in mind?”

His grin was both mischievous and devastatingly sexy, his dimples out in full force as he tugged her closer. “I might.”

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was only in his office for a few minutes before there was a puff of smoke and Pakkun appeared on the desk, standing on a pile of paperwork. Several sheets flew off the desk and onto the floor, but the pug didn’t seem bothered at all by this, his usual tired expression on his face.

“Yo.”

Caught between surprise and amusement, Naruto sat back in his chair and gave the ninken a wary look. “Hey, Pakkun. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, sure.” Pakkun sat on his haunches, apparently in no hurry to deliver his message. “Boss and Floral Green are fine.”

“Good?” Naruto fought not to smile as the pug settled more comfortably on top of some very important paperwork. He should probably ask the ninken to move, but was too amused.

Pakkun’s ears perked slightly, and he looked to the corner of the room, dark eyes unerringly on the ANBU stationed in the shadows. Seeing no reason to hide since he had been spotted, Sasuke came forward to lean a hip against the corner of the desk, the porcelain hawk mask hiding his expression from view.

“Hey, kid,” the pug said in greeting, before he turned back to Naruto. “Boss and Floral Green are going to be a bit late coming back. A week or so, maybe more.”

Naruto blinked slowly, taking that bit of information in. Pakkun didn’t seem the least bit concerned, so they couldn’t have run into any trouble on the way. But why else would they be late in returning to Konoha? “Okay? Did something come up?”

“Not really. Boss suggested they take a holiday.”

“A holiday.” Naruto opened his mouth to say something else and closed it again, bewildered.

“Has he  _ ever _ taken a holiday?” Sasuke asked, the faint incredulity in his voice giving away more than he probably realized.

“Has  _ Sakura? _ ” Naruto added, his brows rising into his hairline. Pakkun blinked at them both, but didn’t say anything in response. Naruto narrowed his eyes and leaned forward until they were level with the ninken’s. “They’re on vacation...  _ together? _ ”

Pakkun sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling, clearly done with this line of questioning. “Floral Green sent the mission and expense reports this morning.” He tilted his head to Sasuke, leaning forward and pointing to the desk with his paw. “Hey, check the bottom drawer for me.”

Sasuke pulled the drawer open with his foot, and Pakkun moved to the edge of the desk and looked down.

“Oh good, they’re still there.” He dropped down to balance on the edges of the drawer and nudged open the small box, picking out a treat and gobbling it up in two quick bites. Satisfied, he closed the box with a paw and leaped up onto the desk again. “See ya, kids.” A soft bark and a puff of smoke and the ninken was gone.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a bemused look. Sasuke finally shrugged and melted back into the shadows, returning to his post as guard. It was weird having the Uchiha guard him in an official capacity, but he had insisted and Naruto wasn’t about to tell him to go away. Naruto liked his company, even when he was being a stubborn asshole.

Curious, Naruto pulled out his laptop and logged into the ANBU network, pulling up the reports waiting for his perusal. Sure enough, there was a new file marked completed, and he opened it, skimming the contents for anything interesting. From the lack of detail, Kakashi had to have been the one to write it and he suppressed a sigh. No good information would come of that, then. As a point of habit, he opened the expense report and noted the usual charges for something like a wedding. Flowers, food, clothing, marital aids…

Naruto nearly choked on his tongue and rubbed his eyes, sure he’d misinterpreted something, but the words were still there when he looked again. A lavish purchase from a small shop in Garasu for marital aids. Out of morbid curiosity, he clicked for the itemized receipt, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was vaguely aware of Sasuke abandoning his post to lean over his shoulder, mask angled so he could see the text. 

“They bought…” Sasuke trailed off, and Naruto didn’t have to see Sasuke’s face to know that he was blushing.

The Nanadaime began to laugh, shoulders shaking with mirth. “Holy shit.” He crossed his arms over his stomach and laughed harder at the strangled noise that came from Sasuke. The purchase probably was originally for the mission, but he had no doubt in his mind that Sakura would put it to use somehow, open minded as she was. He was honestly rather sad that they hadn’t thought to try something of that nature when they had been sleeping together all those years ago. “You’ve got some serious balls, Sakura-chan. Go get ‘im.”

He made a mental note to refuse to reimburse her until she told him exactly how that came about. What was a little blackmail between friends?

Another thought occurred to him and his jaw dropped open. “ _ Wait, _ she’s seen his face!  _ Fuck! _ Dammit, Sakura-chan! Who won the bet?!”

Sasuke blew out an exasperated breath. “Seriously, dobe? I think it’s safe to say she did.”

Naruto slumped in his chair, mouth curved in a faint pout. “Damn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyyyy, we just have the epilogue and this baby is _fin_. If you have anything you want to see from this universe, put it in the comments! There's more to tell, I promise you that.


	10. Epilogue

_ One and a half years later _

Tsubasa Hiroki was ready to go home. It had been a long night of regulars and idle gossip, and his back wasn’t as strong as it used to be. Maybe he should take his son up on his offer of stepping back from the front more often after all. He loved his customers and interacting with them brought him joy every day, but he was still tired.

Hiroki waved goodbye as a regular laid down his coin and vacated the bar. He wiped it down and took the empty glasses, washing them immediately. He had always found washing glasses meditative, and now wasn’t any different.

“Good evening, Hiroki-san.”

The voice tickled his memory, but didn’t coalesce properly until he lifted his head and spotted a very familiar and welcome face. 

He had never caught her last name, but she had introduced herself as Akina nearly two years ago, and he hadn’t seen her since the fiasco in Garasu. Her smile was warm, her long red hair swept over her shoulders to cascade down her back. Clad in the usual Suna garb, it was like no time had passed at all and he found himself smiling back.

“Akina-san! It’s so good to see you!” He finished washing the glass and toweled his hands dry so he could reach across and take hers. “I heard about the nastiness in Garasu and how you’d been a target. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, my dear. Are you all right?”

She squeezed his hands gently, but there was no missing the callouses that lined her fingers and palms. She very clearly worked with her hands, and he wondered what she did. “I’m doing very well, Hiroki-san. Thank you. How are you?”

“Much better now that I’ve seen your lovely face!” Hiroki patted her hands, his fingers coming across warm metal and he looked down to see a simple band around the ring finger of her left hand. “You’re married! Where is your young man?”

Akina laughed, blue eyes sparkling. “I am.” Her features gentled further, her pretty face alight with love and amusement. “He’ll be here soon, if he knows what’s good for him.”

There was a wealth of meaning in her words, and he nodded. It was always best if a husband was punctual when meeting his wife. His own father imparted that wisdom the day before his wedding, and he had been religious in following it. Saki was a patient woman, but patience only extended so far. Particularly when marriage rules were involved.

“What can I get you to start?” Hiroki asked, reaching for a glass.

“Ice water, please?” Akina angled her body so she could see the door, expression expectant.

Her young man - Hiroki remembered his name being Sukea - stepped inside, immediately spotting his wife. Like Akina, he brightened immediately and moved through the crowd with ease to get to her side. He slipped an arm around her waist, kissing her brow and then her lips when she offered them to him.

Hiroki set a glass of water in front of Akina, and wiped down the bar as he waited for the couple to collect their thoughts. The energy that surrounded them was different from the last time he had seen them. Calmer, but no less bright.

The night they’d met here, two years ago already, had been a joy to witness. The slow discovery, the flirtation, the touches that became bolder as the drinks flowed and the night wore on, the easy conversation. The attraction between them had almost been instant, and he would never forget the look of pleasant surprise on Sukea’s face when Akina had plopped down into the chair next to him. Akina was a bold woman, and it took a strong man to match her. They were quite the striking pair, even from the beginning.

When he had seen them again in Garasu, Hiroki had had no idea how much damage his exuberance over their first date would have, leading to an attempt on the young woman’s life. He had deeply regretted his involvement ever since, and had been unable to say a word to atone when the young couple had fled the village. Not that he blamed them, really. He had asked his brother about the rumors, and it had been a painful thing to hear just how insular the town had become, and how backward. Even his normally rational brother had begun to succumb to the poison. Luckily, the birth of his first child had shaken him from his stupor, and Hiroki was forever grateful for that.

Very briefly, he had spotted the two Konoha ANBU who had solved the murders, watching as they carried armloads of flowers and placed them at the graves of the women who had lost their lives. He had never seen a shinobi act in such a way over a civilian life lost, and had been touched by the gesture. The odd pair, one with silver hair and the mask of a hound and the other, a woman with long pink hair and the mask of a bear, had knelt in front of each grave and bowed their heads in respect. He never did learn their names, but he had been sure to comment on their actions to his brother. It was a nice change from the cold looks he had received from the shinobi living in Garasu. He couldn’t call any shinobi his friend, but those he encountered were always friendly enough, and respectful of his establishment whenever they stopped by.

After the ANBU had left, he had asked around about the young couple, and had been assured by a Sunagakure shinobi with dark face paint that the pair were just fine. They had relocated elsewhere. Hiroki had been relieved to hear it, but had thought of them from time to time since then. Seeing them now… He smiled, pausing to look at them sitting at his bar again, safe and happy. 

It was just as well they had missed the firestorm that ripped through the town when the Wind Daimyo had gotten word of the murders and the reasoning behind them. A diplomatic envoy had taken up residence in town, and many of the villagers were given hefty fines for their behavior. Kikyo-sama at the shrine had stepped forward to help educate the populace on the science of the oasis, and scolded those who thought to claim it had all been done in the goddess’s name. In the place of the spa, a bazaar had been opened that encouraged foreign merchants to sell their wares, and Hiroki had enjoyed several days of seeing familiar faces from Sunagakure. He didn’t think the village would change very quickly, but the groundwork was being laid out and he could see the beginnings of understanding before he returned home, eight months later.

Akina leaned into Sukea, and he rested his cheek on her head, one arm around her waist and the other resting on the bar, their fingers intertwined. He said something into her hair and she laughed, tilting her head up to look at him. Their expressions were light and teasing, and Hiroki was loath to interrupt them, so he filled a second glass with water and set it in front of Sukea and went back to work.

It took nearly half an hour for the couple to come out of their bubble, but Hiroki couldn’t blame them. Just seeing them together made him feel ten years younger, and he was reminded of his first few years with his wife, Saki. 

“What can I get you two?” he asked with a smile.

Sukea gave him a crooked smile back. “Some sake for me, thanks.”

Hiroki nodded and set a sake cup on the bar, followed by a small bottle. He looked up to see Akina with one hand on her belly, a small smile on her face that overflowed with warmth.

“A virgin strawberry daiquiri for me, if you could?”

Hiroki’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he stared at her, excitement running through him as he saw her emphasize the small bump of her belly. She had had an incredible tolerance for alcohol in the past, so for her to request something nonalcoholic could only mean one thing. “You’re expecting?” he gasped, his hands working feverishly to create the drink.

A soft blush colored her cheeks and she nodded. Sukea tugged her closer and smiled into her hair. 

“My dear girl…” Hiroki had to pause to gather his wits as he set the drink down in front of her. “I am so happy for you. Truly. From the bottom of my heart.”

Tears shone in her eyes, and he would have worried about it if he didn’t remember his own wife’s emotional state during her three pregnancies. Akina reached toward him and caught his hand in hers, squeezing it again.

“Thank you, Hiroki-san.”

Hiroki puttered around the bar, pulling a small bowl from under the counter and filling it with pretzels, placing it in front of the young couple. “For you to snack on, my dear.” He sighed happily, the warmth in his heart full to bursting. “Do you live in Sunagakure now?”

It was impossible to hide the hope in his question, and he didn’t even try. The couple noticed it, but didn’t seem to mind. “No,” Akina said as she took a pretzel from the bowl and popped it in her mouth. “But we decided to spend our anniversary here.”

“Your wedding anniversary?”

Sukea nodded once, lifting his sake cup in a toast. Akina grinned and tapped her daiquiri glass against his cup and the pair laughed at some private joke, taking a sip. “One year wedding anniversary. Two years since we first met. Here.” Akina tapped the bar with her finger. “We stopped by after the wedding. We’ve made it a tradition now.”

Tears formed in his eyes and Hiroki made no move to wipe them away. “I’m  _ honored _ that you returned here for your anniversary, Akina-san. Sukea-san. I’m sorry I missed you last year, I was still helping my brother in Garasu. Your drinks tonight are on me, with my gratitude.” He bowed deeply to them both, pretending not to hear their protests.

For the rest of the night, the pair only had eyes for each other. Their words were quiet, just a murmur of sound, and Hiroki left them to their own devices, occasionally refilling their water glasses when they were low. It was a pleasure to see them together, wrapped up in their own little world, heedless of the crowd that filled the bar. The chemistry he had seen that first night was still there, but banked, and softened with affection that only came with time. It was hard to believe that they had only met two years before, he would have thought they had known one another all their lives from the way they acted. There was an ease that spoke of time and shared experience. He supposed the near tragedy in Garasu had probably brought them closer together, but it was still a marvel to see how comfortable they were together. They often moved in sync, anticipating the other’s desires and providing them before they were prompted. The warmth in Sukea’s eyes as he looked at her, the way he touched her cheek or hair, or placed his hand on her belly, was just as protective as it was tender. She leaned into him like he was her port in a storm, but there was a strength to her spine, a confidence in the way she held herself, that made her actions all the more telling. She did not look at him like she needed him to live, but like he was her home. They were two old souls, Hiroki decided, and they had found peace in each other.

Several hours later, the couple made to leave, and Hiroki refused the coin they attempted to leave on the bartop.

“Please, I insist. A gift to you for your anniversary, and as congratulations for your little one.” He smiled, and added, “A love such as yours is a rare thing indeed, and should be celebrated.”

The couple exchanged looks fraught with meaning, an amused twist to their lips, and Sukea finally pocketed the coins again. “I won’t argue, Hiroki-san. Thank you.”

Akina smiled as she reached for Sukea’s hand, her features softening when Sukea lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles. “We’ll see you next year, Hiroki-san. Take care.” The couple bowed shallowly, and Hiroki found himself wondering if they were people of a higher status in their home country. 

Hiroki bowed deeply in return, unable to stop his smile when they turned away and left the bar, Akina tucked under Sukea’s arm. “I look forward to it,” he said quietly.

Hiroki picked up their glasses and began to clean them, feeling far more energized than he had at the beginning of the night. Such a pleasant surprise to see them again. It was always gratifying to meet couples so well matched, and he felt a surge of affection for the pair, even though he had no real reason to. He would have to tell his wife he had seen them again. She was just as much a sucker for a love story as he was, and Akina and Sukea’s was sure to be epic.

_ Fin _

_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I commissioned the amazing [thatpinkshinobi](https://thatpinkshinobi.tumblr.com/) to draw the photo from chapter 3 and 4 of these two, and she did such a freaking beautiful job, I'm so happy. Please check out her tumblr because she's doing commissions, and she does incredible work.
> 
> Holy shit, y'all. It's complete. This has been an intense 10 weeks, but I'm really, really proud of myself for finishing this fic. I haven't completed a multichapter since I was 17 (and that was half a lifetime ago), so this is a huge accomplishment. As promised, there will be many side fics in this universe, all under the series tag Here's To Us, so give that a follow if you want to read more about these two. Some will be KakaSaku, some will be about other friendships. If you want to see something specific, throw it out there in the comments! I've already gotten a few ideas from the last chapter, so we'll see how it goes. There won't be a set schedule for the side fics, they'll just be uploaded when I get to them. I do have other multichapter fics in the works though, including two collaborations with other writers. Look for updates about those on my tumblr, sleepyfoxfanworks.
> 
>  _Huge_ thanks to MSH for her beta work, as always, and to the KakaSaku fandom as a whole. You all give me life, and I love how supportive the community is. Thank you to everyone who has left a comment, kudos, or bookmarked this fic. It means the world to me, and every one makes me smile. I write these fics to amuse myself, but I post them for you. Thank you.


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